


You Can't Miss What You Don't Remember

by peterpandesal



Category: Vampire Knight
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-18
Updated: 2016-09-06
Packaged: 2018-03-18 12:07:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 24,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3569063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peterpandesal/pseuds/peterpandesal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Sayori makes a decision and everything goes wrong.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: Letters

**Author's Note:**

> an a/y fic for my aching heart. otp more like oh the pain.

\--

 

“Thank you very much.”

That was the first thing she ever said to him.

It was during the “Rido Incident” in the Academy, when the Day Class had finally discovered what they, the Night Class, truly were. Everyone stared at him with either disgust or horror, but she was different. He remembers, till now, how she nobly stood for him in that moment, apparently the only one in that crowd of mortals to ever take his side.

The Night Class was forced to flee then, realizing they no longer had a place in the academy and also because their leader, Kuran Kaname, had run away with his fiancé Yuuki Cross, the last person they ever expected to be Kaname-sama’s lady. Indeed they went away, but not before erasing the memories of most of the students about the incident—about the inevitable existence of vampires.

But she was not one of them.

She had proven herself worthy in a way that Aidou couldn’t explain. Perhaps it was because out of pity; Yuuki was her best friend, after all. And she was one of the very few people who was unfazed by the news about the vampires and the hunters.

 

“I don’t care what she is. What’s important is that she’s safe,” she said, as she hugged to her chest the paper from Yuuki. This was the execution of his promise of charity to the Kuran princess that if she ever got at least 75/100 on the test about the history of purebloods, he’d smuggle a letter to Wakaba Sayori.

Aidou could only smile. It never failed to awe him how normal it all seemed to Wakaba that her best friend was not only _just_ a vampire, but also one who was treated as royalty in their society.

“Do you miss Yuuki?” of course she did; that was stupid to ask.

“Very much,” answered ‘Yori-chan,’ as Yuuki would describe her. “But I know this isn’t the time to wish to see her…not yet, at least.”

A pensive silence stretched between them for a moment. Aidou didn’t know he’d said it after he heard himself: “I wish I could make things easier for them…”

It was a mere whisper, but the mortal girl heard him clear. “Well, this is something you’re doing for Yuuki, right, senpai?”

“Yeah…”

“I know this shouldn’t come from me, but knowing Yuuki well enough, I know she already feels indebted to you for this, Aidou-senpai,”

“She better be.” Hanabusa chuckled, to somehow conceal his growing nervousness.

“But you are faring well, I hope?”

“Well…Kaname-sama and Yuuki are doing alright, as you know...although, she doesn’t say it, but clearly Kaname-sama’s blood doesn’t satisfy her even when it should.” He looked at the mortal, forgetting his tact. “Uh, sorry.”

She shook her head slowly with a smile. “It’s alright. But I was asking about _you_ , Aidou-senpai. How are you?”

Somehow, his face felt warm. There was something about her calmness and receptiveness that made him feel at ease, albeit still a little nervous. This was good, considering they were quite strangers to each other. “I’m okay…I guess,” was what he could only say, anyway.

Wakaba Sayori smiled, as if with relief. “I’m happy you’re all well.” She stepped a step back, and bowed. “I shouldn’t detain you any longer. Have a good night, senpai. Send Yuuki my regards.”

“Sure.”

And they part, each going on their way.

 


	2. Chapter 2

 

Since yesterday was the official onset of the winter break, the school now is pretty much deserted save for some students who have not left yet. The earliest signs of snowfall are manifesting, and he’s running late.

“Oh, crud.” Aidou Hanabusa is forced to pause in his dashing when he finds out his shoelaces have been undone. He gets up after fixing them, marches on, but slows down to another full halt when he sees someone approaching.

“Shouldn’t you be at home already? All the other students have gone,” he smirks.

The girl is pretty. She has slightly droopy, but otherwise calm eyes, and has short hair the dark shade of honey, it’s almost brown. She has a face that contrasts well with the winter gleam—with any season, really. “I haven’t been allowed just yet, being the Sun Dorm vice-president. Aren’t _you_ running late, Aidou-senpai?”

It’s reasonable, why she still calls him that. “I have to tend to some matters. Also, I’m to meet someone for dinner tonight,”

“Oh,” it’s not likely, judging from her nature, but her eyes sparkle with a hint of slyness. “I see.”

“I’ll be going,” Aidou bids, and when they pass by each other, it happens—so swiftly, that when Aidou dashes off to go on his way, she stops, her hand on the region between her cheek and her ear, her face warm.

 

\--

 

“Oh no—oh no—oh no,” he awkwardly sweeps away the gathering frost around the ice coffin, all the while apologizing to the person encapsulated in it. “I am _so_ sorry, Kaname-sama; I was so detained in the lab, I almost forgot about you. I’m really sorry.”

He creates a stool with his ability to produce ice, and wipes the coffin with the cloth he happened to be carrying. “The Academy will be quiet for quite a time, Kaname-sama. Today is the start of the winter break,” he says, the most cheerful he can manage while telling the story, although he knows he’ll be answered with nothing but silence. “At least for a while, you won’t have the trouble of having nosy Day Class students sneaking in to try to see you. The prefect is there to keep watch, of course, but you know…” his wiping slows down, till it stops. The ice is shiny, pristine. The anguish inside him builds up.

“We miss you, Kaname-sama,” winds from him, throat tight. “I miss you. I know only Yuuki’s missing you is the only one you value, but it’s not the same without you, you know? It’s been a year now, so that’s…nine hundred ninety-nine years to go, and we’ll see you again,” somehow, he finds the thought funny, it makes him feel better. “I’ll see you. Assuming I live that long.”

After ridding the room of the frost, he’s ready to go. But he has a few things left to say. “Kaname-sama…I want you to know that I’m working hard on your unfinished research. It’s never easy. I’ve barely made a step forward. And I have to hurry up, because for the first time in my life, time isn’t much of a luxury…it’s not like how it used to be, before. I want to use this research for us. For _her_.” He sighs, remembering the girl with honey-colored hair he met a while ago. “This is gonna be weird to ask but…please guide me.”

It would’ve been scary if the person inside the coffin answered.

Closing the door of the basement behind him, he stalked off, going to his dinner appointment.

 

Although she would admit that it _is_ beautiful, the snow descending upon the town is gloomy, almost sad. She absentmindedly looks out the window; there is a soft tune of the piano from somewhere in the restaurant. She’s surrounded by a low mumble of indistinct chatter by the very few people in the place. She loses herself in her thoughts— _where could Yuuki be right now? Is she doing well? Is her unborn child alright_? Lately she’s found herself wondering more and more about her vampire friends, especially after having considered his “offer.” She thought it was foolish; it would mean prolonging one’s lifespan longer than it should be, and, moreover, how would she hide it from her family? She would outlive all of them by at least two centuries. The thought was so preposterous, it made her dizzy just by thinking of it. But as the days passed, she thought, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.

She would have him, anyway.

“Sorry for having you wait,” she turns to see the tall male with hair the color of sunshine approaching her. “Hey, what are you _wearing_?” he eyes what she’s wearing, wrinkling his nose. “I told you to wear the dress I sent you!”

Had she not been accustomed to it, she would be annoyed with his whining. “It’s cold, senpai; you can’t have me wear something like that in a weather like this.”

He just flattens his eyes, and settles on a chair. She hears him mumble, which makes her flush a little, “One should dress well in a date, you know,”

She doesn’t know what to say to that, so it’s a good thing the waiter arrives to take their order. After placing their orders, the waiter leaves, and the two are left to silence.

“But you’re right,” he finally breaks the rest. “That was kind of stupid of me, wanting to make you dress like that,”

She smiles. “It’s alright, Aidou-senpai.”

“Although, why do you still call me like that?”

“Like what?”

“Aidou-senpai.” He huffs. “It’s like you’re so…distant.”

“What do you want me to call you, then?”

“Hanabusa.” His tone is serious and merry at the same time. “Call me that, Sayori.”

“I’ll still have to get used to it.” But her smile doesn’t seem sorry. Despite the cold weather, she makes him feel warm. She’s always had that effect on him. “ _Hanabusa_.”

“Now we’re talking,” he chuckles, though he feels like he wants to punch something to feel manly again. He’s always such a softie when it comes to her. Nine months of dating, and the feeling is still like when he first realized he’d fallen for her. “On a completely unrelated note, what were you thinking about a while ago? You were so deep in it, I thought you were asleep with your eyes open,”

Sayori takes the goblet and shifts gently the sparkly liquid in it. “I was thinking about Yuuki.”

“What about her?”

“I haven’t talked to her in a very long while, and I’m wondering how she takes care of her pregnant self. The thirst must be agonizing,”

“It is.” Aidou’s expression turns solemn. “But Kiryuu attends to her. Well, occasionally, at least. Nonetheless, she has Ruka and Akatsuki taking care of her. Are you worried?”

“I know she’s in good hands, but…” she loses her words.

“There’s something you want to tell me, isn’t there?” He knows it’s cliché, but he takes her hand across the table. He takes the liberty of soothing her knuckles with his thumb.

After a moment she says, “Is it difficult, Aidou-sen—um, Hanabusa?”

“Well, I can only imagine. I’ve been a vampire all my life. I get that bloodlust sometimes, but I restrain myself. As for trying to quench the thirst of your child and your own…well…Yuuki’s strong, so we don’t have to worry so much.” He tries to ease her worry by laughing it off.  He doesn’t do any good. “But what I _do_ know—what can only, truly quench your thirst is the blood of the one you love.

He looks at Sayori, but she’s not conscious of his sentimental gaze, being trapped in her musings like that. So Hanabusa snaps her out of it by—

“In my case, that would be you.”

It takes a while longer than it should for it to register to her. When it does, her cheeks turn pink, which amuses him, but it also makes him blush. “Oh, you needn’t say that.”

“Aw, come on, I’m not always this cheesy, anyway!”

“Have you ever been tempted to drink my blood, though?”

“I’ll have to admit that, yes. More than a few times, actually.”

“How do you…” she looks concerned, clenching her fist in his hand. “How do you control it?”

She must look so worried, because Aidou lets out a little laugh. “It’s not easy. It never is. But I think about you, not about me. Selflessness is the key. And about half a dozen doses of blood tablets.”

“Oh.”

“Hold on; why are you suddenly asking about this stuff, Sayori? Don’t you even care about vampires?”

“I’m just a little curious.”

He wouldn’t take that for an answer. The Wakaba Sayori he knows is frank, and clearly she’s hesitating right now. “No, really. It’s fine. Tell me. What’s wrong?”

The waiter, when he arrives, is a bit bewildered by the facial expression of the blond customer. His face is slack, as if with shock. Had the waiter known what the couple was talking about, he too would have been astounded by the girl’s reply.

“I wish to be one.”

 


	3. Chapter 3

Not all good things happen in a flash. Sometimes, they take place gradually, like the good kind of insidious: before anyone even knows it, something has already bloomed.

After Yuuki moved away from town to take care of herself and Kaname’s unborn child, things were pretty much back to normal at Cross Academy. Hanabusa concluded that, as every day he was there. He _resided_ there, even. Kaien Cross offered him one of the chemistry laboratories for his exclusive use, because Kaien was with Hanabusa in his dream: to continue Kaname’s research on how to turn a vampire into a human without the cost of a blood sacrifice. So many painful things have happened because of that cost. Losing Juuri for Yuuki was one solid proof.

“Try and try until you succeed” was Hanabusa’s motto when he started, but he figured out after the initial tribulation that it takes more than genius and willpower to succeed. No wonder Kaname-sama put it away for a while, till it was completely forgotten.

One cloudy Wednesday he sorted to go out for a walk, trying to rid his head of the frustration. Though Ichijou’s been helping, he figured that even that wasn’t enough.

He was at the stables, enjoying the peace and quiet, except for the occasional neighing and stomping of hooves. He was almost asleep when he was disturbed by a, “Aidou-senpai?”

Hanabusa glanced. “Wakaba? What are you doing here?”

“I should be the one asking you that, senpai. I have no class for a few hours. What is senpai doing in Cross Academy?”

“Um, well…” he awkwardly scratched his cheek with a finger. “I’ve been living here. For several months already, actually.”

“How come I never see you? Has the Night Class been re-established?”

“Oh, no. No, no.” He felt a twinge of sadness. The past two dorm leaders have been so dear to him. “I’m using one of the chemistry rooms. I stay there for most of the day. And night. Well, night, usually. I seldom go out when it’s daytime—like, when it’s cloudy, like today.”

“I see.” She nods. “What is senpai working on?”

Should he tell? Wakaba already knew of the existence of vampires, so what else was there to lose? Still, he had reservations. Despite the fact that this girl had been the sole human in a party full of vampires once upon a time, he didn’t think he should tell her deep vampire stuff such as this. Besides, he feels sensitive about it. Like this is some secret Kaname-sama has entrusted him.

“Senpai?”

“Oh?” he blinked. “Hmm, you know. Certain stuff.”

Wakaba didn’t appear curious, which, strangely, disappointed him. “And you, Wakaba, what are you doing here? This place’s a bit far from the lecture buildings…”

“Hmm-mm, maybe,” her tone turned hushed. “This is the place where I’d find Kiryuu-kun whenever he was cutting classes.”

“When…when did this happen?”

“The whole while Yuuki was away. Kiryuu-kun lost the will to go on with his studies.”

“So…you’re missing Kiryuu?”

Sayori sat down, a foot away from him. “Well, yes. He was the link closest to Yuuki that I had. Now he’s also gone.” She sighed.

Aidou could sympathize. He hated that vampire hunter a bit, but somehow, he knew that although Kiryuu Zero wasn’t a friend, he wasn’t an enemy, either. “Believe me, he’s doing well. He’s now the president of the Vampire Hunters’ Association.”

“I understand if he’s stopped schooling this time. Cross Academy holds too much memories.”

A gust of wind breezed by, rustling the grass around them. It was enough to fill the silence.

“Senpai?”

“Hmm?”

“Yuuki is pregnant, isn’t she?”

Hanabusa choked on his own saliva. “W-what? How…how did you know?!”

“A few months ago,” she said. “I followed Yuuki to the basement where that huge block of ice was stored. Inside it was Kuran-senpai,”

Aidou stared hard at her. It wasn’t easy for him to believe that almost nothing fazed this girl. He was born a vampire and even _he_ was baffled by the complexities of his world, yet here she was. That was when he realized why Wakaba Sayori was Yuuki Cross/Kuran’s best friend: she had aplomb the princess didn’t possess in full.

“I tried to comfort her, but she…attacked me. Kiryuu stopped her in time, thank goodness. She drank his blood instead,” there is a sad, yet slightly hard edge to her voice. “She said she was ‘so thirsty,’ like she’s never drank in a very long time,”

Aidou let a rest set in, then replied. “Huh. Well, you’re not wrong. But at least she has a piece of Kaname-sama with her, right? So she ought not to feel so pained,” _even when she has to wait a thousand years to see him again_.

“But isn’t it hard for Kiryuu-kun?”

“He’s cool with it. Don’t worry. Kaname-sama even gave them his blessing before he...you know, left.” And then he wasn’t able to stop himself, he poured out the details as to why all that happened. Why Kaname had to throw his heart into a magical furnace, and all that. Unknowingly, he told her the history of vampires.

Wakaba was a good listener.

He was about to lead up to what exactly he was working on in the laboratory, but the bell rang from a distance.

“I talked for _an hour and a half?_ ” he gasped.

Sayori chuckled. “It’s a beautiful story, senpai.”

“Although really sad,” he replied. “You going back to class?”

“I have to,” she rose from her seat, gently patting her skirt. “Thank you for your time, senpai.” Wakaba smiled.

“Uh, yeah…” he looked up at her, sort of appreciating how her hair framed her serious face. She looks like someone he knew from a long time ago…

 _No._ He shook his head. _That’s an old story. Past is past._

“Goodbye, Aidou-senpai.”

“Bye.”

She bowed slightly, and left.

 

\--

 

It was Friday the following week when it was cloudy again, and Aidou, though having only a vague idea of why he wanted to go to the stables, followed his instincts nonetheless. He suspected, though never admitted it openly even to himself, that he wanted to see Wakaba. Their sadness bought them a common denominator.

Indeed he saw her again, and this time she was carrying food.

“What is Aidou-senpai doing here?”

Aidou gestured at the grey clouds above, then replied, “Are those sandwiches?”

“Yes,” she handed one to him as she settled down. “I was supposed to have lunch with a friend today, but she got sick.”

 _How auspicious,_ Aidou thought.

They ate in silence. After what was left of the food was mere morsel, they sat overlooking the slope a few feet from them.

“Ichijou helped me out today,” Hanabusa said, anxious to start a conversation.

“How did it go, then, senpai?”

He heaved a sigh. “Almost no progress. We’re working on a method on how to turn vampires human without a sacrifice, you see.”

“Sacrifice?” a crease developed between her brows. “What kind of sacrifice?”

Aidou pursed his lips before answering. This was something he hated to talk about. “It’s a life-for-a-life kind of trade, Wakaba. For a vampire to live life as a human with their vampire memories suppressed, it requires the sacrifice of a life.”

She kept her eyes on the horizon. “Is this what happened to Yuuki? Since…she was actually a vampire…”

She catches on so easily. “Yes. Kuran Juuri, Yuuki’s mother, sacrificed herself so Yuuki could live life normally as a human being. She succeeded. For a few years, at least.”

“Oh.”

“But we’re talking about depressing things,” Aidou chuckled. There was no use talking about it now. “Hey, I want to ride one of those things,” he turned to the horses in the stables nearby. “Help me.”

She agreed, and helped him with one of the horses.

“I’ve never actually ridden a horse before,” Aidou said, as he mounted on the saddle of a white steed. “If I had, I can’t remember.”

“But you do know how to use the reins, right, senpai?”

“I’ll learn!” he cheered. I’m a genius, after all.”

And a genius he really was. He galloped around, trotted, and rode the horse with so much skill, it wasn’t visible that he had no equestrian background.

After fifteen minutes, he stopped in front of Sayori, and stooped down to offer his hand. “Take this ride with me, please.”

The other girls at school would have fainted or bled to death had they been in her place. But she was immune to his charm. Somehow, if not absolutely. “Alright,” she took his hand, and sat behind him.

“Hold on tight!” he said, and the horse galloped around the field with sheer agility and speed, Sayori kept on yelping, and was forced to put her arms around Aidou’s waist to hang on for dear life.

It took a while before Aidou realized she was clinging onto him like that. However, as soon as he did, he put the tour into an abrupt halt, puzzling the girl.

“Er…Ichijou must be looking for me already,” he said, trying to hide his face from her sight. He hastily got down. “You, too; you should be going. The bell will be ringing anytime soon.”

Reluctantly, he helped getting her down. He was hoping she wouldn’t see through him, getting uncomfortable like this all of a sudden.

“I’ll be going, Wakaba.” He bid, before she could even study his sudden change of mood.

She bowed, although a little confused. “Thank you, Aidou-senpai.”

Later, when he went back to the lab, he found Ichijou eyeing him mischievously.

“What?”

“I know you’re missing your best friend Yuuki-chan, Hanabusa. But I didn’t think this would happen…” Takuma stifled a laugh.

“Leave me alone!” he threw the flask at him, which, gladly, was caught. Hanabusa snorted. “We just happened to meet there, okay?”

“Twice in a row.”

“Unrehearsed!” he corrected.

“Sure it was.” Ichijou just smiled, looking wise.

 

The weekend next, it was cloudy. Aidou was never one who’d get up at daylight lest the weather was like this (or if there was an emergency), but he reminded himself that today was a weekend, so she was probably out of the Academy’s premises.

But then again, he wanted to return to the stables, almost as if something was urging him.

When he got there, the tables were turned. Now _she_ was the one who was there first.

“Wa…Wakaba?”

She turned, and apparently looked surprised. “Aidou-senpai!” then she looked at the sky, and smiled. “Oh. Alright then.”

“But…it’s a Saturday. Don’t you want to go out of the Academy?” he was so astounded, part of him hoped that maybe she was waiting for him.

“No,” she answered. “I find no reason to go, and no person to go with,”

“I’ll take you out next time, then.” He didn’t know he’d said that aloud until he saw her brows that went high up. “Uh, well, if you don’t mind?’

“I’ve no objection.” Was her reply, anyway.

For at least a minute, Aidou stood there awkwardly, while she was blind to all his hesitations. Finally, he restarted, “Hey, wanna see what I’m working on?”

She agreed. A little later, they were standing in front of the door o the third chemistry lab. “Just…one thing. If ever things get too weird for you, tell me, okay?”

Sayori wondered how much weirder things could get at this state, but she assented, anyway.

Turns out, the laboratory had become a chemistry _and_ biology lab. There were stuff getting cultured in glass-containers, not just the usual smoky colorful liquids inside the typical lab, as one would imagine.

Aidou showed her a notebook so old, the pages were almost brittle. “I found this at the Kuran mansion,” he said with mingled eagerness and sadness. “In it is the technique that could make us human.”

She took it and scanned the pages. The language was in archaic Japanese, but still comprehensible anyway.

“So far, we’ve gotten nowhere.” The vampire sighed. “Ichijou and I tried to get off that notebook, like maybe we could stop the rapid regeneration of vampire cells, or maybe we could—” then he looked at her. “I’m sorry. Even I can’t understand myself sometimes. I’m getting desperate.”

“Is there anything I can help with, senpai? Being human, and all.”

He eyed her for a moment. “I’ll tell you when there is,”

After that they proceeded to the brighter side of things—how all of this came about, and Aidou’s mishaps in the laboratory. There were a lot more than Wakaba expected. Turns out even the finest genius are not immune to hilarious failures.

It was a beautiful thing, Aidou realized, to have someone so serious laugh so heartily.

But then things took another sad turn when Wakaba asked, “Can I ask something, senpai?”

“Sure. What is it?”

“Why are you straining yourself so much over single research?”

He set down the notebook, frowning. It took several seconds for him to reply, as he picked his words. “The life of a vampire is almost eternal.” He started. “But very, very sad. Not all of us want to live long. We could live for hundreds—even thousands—of years, and still not achieve the joy of living for something. We have no concept of ‘hurrying up,’ because time itself is the very luxury of our existence,”

She felt a pang of sadness for him. How did Kuran-senpai feel like without Yuuki by his side for so long?

“Sometimes we just want to be like you humans. Transient, but making the most out of everything,”

She could have argued with him. Humans don’t have it any better. But still, at least they don’t bear the agony of living for an eternity.

“And…I’m doing this for Kaname-sama and Yuuki. They could have lived a beautiful life together as humans,”

It was weird, sure, the next moment. He found something weighing on his head—a hand—and it slowly patted him.

Hanabusa looked at Sayori, misery teetering over the edge of his sheepish smile. “I’m not a pet,”

He didn’t notice how soft her eyes were until that moment. Her next question, though, didn’t impress him as gentle as her gesture of attempted comfort. It threw him off. “Do you want to be human, Aidou-senpai?”

Did he? Why not? Besides, Kaname-sama was not around anymore, so he could serve no one anymore. He loved being in his service. He wasn’t like Yuuki, anyway, who at least had Zero to live for and with. He had no one. Even when he resolved to wait for Kaname-sama to return, a thousand years was still such a long, _long_ time.

_A long and lonely time._

His head was cast down when he mulled over these thoughts. _Ah, whatever_ , he thought, before giving his answer, but when he looked at her again, he found his answer, as if it was written in those brown eyes. “Maybe…”

 

\--

 

“Truth be told, you’re the first person I’ve let in there. Well, Chairman Cross comes sometimes, but he’s another case.” He said, as they went out of the laboratory.

“It’s off-limits, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

He walked her to the area of the Sun Dorm. Moon dormers were forbidden to do that, but it wasn’t like the Moon Dorm was still a thing anyway, so he could do whatever he wanted. Before leaving, Aidou surprised himself yet again. “Say, Wakaba…whenever the weather’s…you know, cloudy…if you’re free, will you come to the stables?”

Wakaba’s eyes formed little crescents as she smiled. “Has senpai learned to enjoy my company?”

He looked away, face warming. “Well, just—”

“—yes, Aidou-senpai.” She replied. “I like the serenity there, too.”

 _It’s not just the serenity, really_.

When they said their goodbyes for the day, one of the other dormers saw the two. Immediately Sayori was asked, “Who was that cute blond, Wakaba? I’ve never seen him before.”

Oh, right. She thought. They don’t remember him. Aidou, or Idol-senpai, everyone practically loved.

These people remember none of the Night Class. “Oh, he’s…” she replied, looking at the receding image of Aidou Hanabusa’s back. “He’s my friend.”

 


	4. Chapter 4

And like that, a beautiful friendship bloomed. For more than once Shiki and Rima visited, and were much astounded to find Aidou up in broad daylight, like it was a convulsion of nature. His friendship with Sayori went on for months, till the two became fond of each other, and, naturally, it was unbeknownst to them that they’ve found their way to each other’s heads and hearts.

One afternoon, in the season of autumn, the keys to the laboratory dropped out of Aidou’s pocket. It was only when he left did Sayori notice that it was lying there on the grass. Later that night, when Aidou was going to the laboratory, he realized his keys were missing.

Like a blessing, the doorbell of the Moon Dorm rang, and Ichijou opened the door. “Wakaba?”

“Good evening, Ichijou-senpai,” she bowed. “Is Aidou-senpai here?”

Ichijou threw his head to one side and yelled over, “Hey, Hanabusa! Someone’s looking for you!”

Aidou descended the stairs with an annoyed face. “Not now, Takuma. I’m—oh.” He saw her, and almost missed a step. “H-hey! What are you doing here?”

“Hello, senpai,” she bowed again, as Ichijou started to exit the scene, trying not to laugh. “You left your keys at the stables today.”

He blinked. “Oh my gosh, I’ve been looking for them!” in a flash, he’d already snatched the keys from her hands. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” he took her hand, and shook it with both of his, wildly. “Thank you so much!” when he realized what he was doing, he let go. “Uh, sorry. That was rude. It’s just that…I’ve already cancelled my plans of going to the lab because of these,”

“Sorry. I should have come here earlier,”

“No, no; it’s fine. It can wait tomorrow,” then he looked over his shoulder, making sure Ichijou wasn’t there. “Let me walk you back. I’ve bothered you,”

She agreed. While they were treading the road back to the Sun Dorm, Aidou realized something he had forgotten—or, rather, suppressed—for a long time already. “If Yuuki and Kiryuu were here, we’d be in big trouble,”

“Indeed.” Sayori smiled.

“Wakaba.” He felt like she should know.

“Senpai?”

“Do you know why prefects were assigned?”

“It was to keep the Day Class students in the dorm during lights-out.”

“Correct.” Aidou answered. His face turned solemn. “Although, there’s something more than that. The prefects have a solid history.”

She waited for him to go on.

“Once upon a time, there was this Day Class student who tried to sneak into the Moon Dorm. She wanted to give Kaname-sama some chocolates.” It was annoying how the story still affected him. “She succeeded in finding Kaname-sama’s room, but she was found out by the Night Class.”

The pause made her ask, “And?”

“Instead of reprimanding her, though. She was welcomed into the Moon Dorm. She even struck a friendship with the students. Almost every night, she came to visit the dorm.” It didn’t escape Sayori how more and more guarded Aidou’s voice was becoming. “But, actually, that Day Class student was a vampire.”

She gasped.

“The Night Class administered to her blood tablets without her knowledge, but it didn’t take too long before she realized what she was. She even victimized her roommate, who was also her best friend. She spiraled into a Level E in no time,”

She knew what Level E was. Aidou taught her the hierarchy of vampires in one of their talks. “But didn’t she live out her life as a human? How was she a vampire?”

“That’s another story. But the point is, her memories as a vampire were suppressed, but it wasn’t enough. They resurfaced.”

The respite took too long, she knew this wasn’t just some legend. “What happened to that girl?”

She watched holding her breath as Aidou’s face darkened and darkened, but all of the creases suddenly loosened in a second, and his face changed. “Well, goodness knows. No one knows if she got away or not.” Just in time, they were already at the Sun Dorm grounds. “This is where I go back, Wakaba.”

It was a little frustrating to not be granted the ending of a story, but Wakaba knew that she would know how that ended, in time. “Thank you for walking me home, senpai.” She bowed.

“Nope. Thank _you_ ,” he dangled the keys at her. “I wouldn’t have found these if not for you. Good night, Wakaba.”

“Good night, Aidou-senpai.”

 

\--

 

Akatsuki looks at the man across the room, brow cocked. “Say, I knew it wasn’t impossible, but really, going as far as _this_?” he snorts, albeit sounding amused. “I wonder what the Kuran Princess would say if she heard this,”

“Ecstatic, I’m supposing,” Ruka says.

Aidou glares at the pair and barks, “We’re willing to wait after her graduation. Go back to where you came from, you two! Yuuki needs you there! And leave me alone; mind your own business!”

“We are. Why do you think we’re here in the first place?” Akatsuki says. “Give that letter to her. Tell her Yuuki is waiting for a reply,”

“Fine, fine.” Aidou snatches the letter from the table. “I’ll be going. Won’t be back till tomorrow, I guess. Where are you two staying?”

“We had rooms here, remember?” Ruka replied. “We’re staying here. Now go; catch your train before it’s too late.”

Hanabusa then journeys out. The travel to the town where Sayori lives is two hours away. He could have taken a car, but he figured that maybe trains are more fun to travel in. Trains remind him of Yuuki. They’ve had quite an adventure together.

When he gets to town, it’s late night. He knows where she lives; the Wakaba estate is too known for him not to know. It was only until late when he discovered that his father had a link to Sayori’s dad.

“I’ll see you, Sayori.” Aidou smiles as he looks up at the dark sky.

 

\--

 

There are almost no sounds, only colliding snowflakes and the frost developing on the windowpanes and everywhere else. Sayori leans forward, hand on cheek; she doesn’t mind being at the balcony despite this weather. Besides, the cold reminds her of Aidou.

She wonders if she made the right decision. Once she graduates, she will never be the same again. Literally. She thought learning to be deeply fond of “Aidou-senpai” was only for a while, but when she discovered that, alas, she indeed loves him, she felt a kind of greed she never knew before: she wanted to be with him for the rest of her life. Sayori wanted to tell Aidou, maybe he could take a shot, however uncertain, at the cure for making him human. But she could put his life in jeopardy if the procedure went wrong.

One day, though, they were sitting at the stables, and that’s when he cracked the question similar to a marriage proposal.

They were eating then. She could still remember how he shyly alluded to it.

_If my research succeeds within this year or sooner, I’ll have it tried on myself, first._

_—Wouldn’t that be risky, though?_

_I just want to be…like, properly with you._

_—‘Properly’? This is as proper as it can be, senpai._

_No, I meant…you know, we’re different from each other._

_—You mean…?_

_Yeah…either I turn myself human or you turn yourself…like me. We can only go to either extremes; no in-between. But Sayori…if I asked you…to be with me…like, for a long time_ (he didn’t say forever; she got the feeling he didn’t like that word) _would you…agree?_

_—That’s not a very hard question, Aidou-senpai._

 

Sayori smiles. Indeed, it wasn’t a hard question. But why did she have reservations on saying yes?

Realizing that it’s late and that she should sleep, she goes back inside, into the dark room Sayori sits on the edge of the bed for a while, staring at the photo of Yuuki when they were in middle school. Things used to be much simpler back then. Everything was normal— _Yuuki_ was normal; not a part of some bizarre society of bloodsuckers and as if that wasn’t enough, she was treated like a princess in that society. Now this girl she was with in the picture is a mother, with a nearly-unquenchable thirst.

What if it happened to her, too?

The thought was scary, the crazy kind. But they wouldn’t be like Yuuki and Kuran-senpai, right? Having a child with Hanabusa would be the next best thing to being with him. She contemplates on this so much, and dreams; it’s so desirable— _so beautiful, it hurts_.

Sayori feels the faintest change in the atmosphere of her room, distracting her. The pain of her desire is cut short and sharp. She looks up, staring blankly into space, and says, “How did you get in here?”

Strong arms wrap her torso from behind. A chin is perched on her shoulder. She doesn’t feel the extra weight on the bed until she feels these. “Secret. I’m a genius, you know.”

She smiles. She was just thinking of him seconds ago. The last time she saw him three weeks ago, when they had a dinner date, during which she confessed to him she wants to be a part of his kind. Put simply, he was rendered speechless.

She had given him her answer the first time she offered her, but it was vague. But this one was a clear yes.

Prudent she is, she instantly says, “If you’re going to appear at breakfast tomorrow, I’ll have to explain to father your presence here. What am I supposed to answer then?”

The vampire behind her chuckles. “It’s alright; you won’t have to explain any presence.”

The next moments are so quiet, she knows there’s something wrong. “What’s the matter, Aidou-senpai?”

“I told you not to call me that.”

“Hanabusa.” She tries again. “Are you alright?”

From him emits a sound that is between a sigh and a whine, like he’s afflicted with something he can’t express in words. “I just missed you, that’s all.”

She feels warm from the inside out in an instant. “It’s only been a few weeks. Why didn’t you go home to your father instead?”

“It’s too far; even farther from the Academy than here. I’d rather be here.”

Sayori strokes the head on her shoulder. “I’m shocked, but thankful you came to visit me. It’s quite a travel, after all.”

“I also came to give you this,” he hands her the envelope, and turns on the lamp. He lies on the bed. “She’s waiting for a reply.”

His lady takes a deep breath before reading the letter, as if she were afraid of what it might contain. He watches her closely. After a long, hard moment, she looks up with a small smile. “She says she’s alright, and that her baby bump is already quite visible. She fears when it gets bigger she’ll barely be able to get up by herself,” her laugh is short and gentle. “Poor Yuuki.”

“Vampire pregnancies aren’t easy.” He seconds. “Sayori…”

She looks at him.

“Are you…sure about this?”

She takes so long to answer, he thinks he had offended her. But his fear is set at rest when she says, “I am, Hanabusa.”

He takes her hand, and squeezes it. “I just don’t want you to be in pain…”

“You handled your thirst for my blood,” she replies gently. “Certainly I can train myself to be restrained. Are you afraid? For me?”

“It’s not just that…”

She confesses, “I feel a little scared, too.”

He holds his breath.

“But I know someone won’t let me descend into a Level E. At least I have that assurance.”

They lie on the bed, facing each other. That night, they have a lengthy discussion on how everything will come about. For Aidou, it’s like planning his forever. Only with much fear.

 

\--

 

“—that’s when she’ll be turned.” Aidou says happily to his friends at breakfast—if breakfast be considered dinner, for vampires.

“Easy to say,” Ruka sips calmly from her tea. “Hard to do. Who do you have in mind, though? The last remaining purebloods have been exterminated,”

“And who remain are endangered species.” Akatsuki shrugs.

“We can’t count on Yuuki-chan, either. She won’t do that to her best friend, no matter how in favor she is of your relationship.” Ichijou points out. “Plus, even if she does agree, can’t be trusted. No offense meant, but, her thirst nearly uncontrollable, remember? The next thing we know, we’ve got a pile of ashes to clean up.”

“So that’s one off the list,” Ruka says. “Kuran: pass. Hiou: dead. Pass. Ouri: dead. Pass. Shirabuki: also dead. Isaya-sama has never been seen or heard about ever since the war.”

“I have another one in mind, though.” Ichijou says.

“Who?” asks Aidou.

“You know who it is. Although we’ll both agree we don’t like the idea.”

When it hits Aidou, he groans. “Must we, really? Yuuki and I met him once and that brat is absolutely _obnoxious_.”

“It _is_ for Sayori, you know.” Ichijou says. “If he’s what it takes to turn Sayori, we’ve no choice.”

Akatsuki looks at Ruka with a worried face. “Are you guys sure?”

Ruka looks like she couldn’t care less. “Not my problem. Ask him.”

“He’s the only pureblood that’s within reach, anyhow.” Ichijou reminds everyone. He feels sorry for Hanabusa, who’s already starting to feel sulky. Not all the purebloods are as kind as the Kurans. For crying out loud, he’s been the puppet of a pureblood, once upon a time. “What do you say, Hanabusa?”

“Fine.” The blond grits his teeth. “Try to investigate if Lord Touma still lives in his old estate.”

Ichijou agrees, albeit knowing that this won’t be easy.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some incidences cited here are from hino-sensei's vk light novel, "ice blue sin." also, take note that the events depicted here are what-may-have-been after the events of the manga.  
> (sorry for the very delayed update. I had exams lol)  
> (and feedback would be loved, lol)

 

* * *

 

 

“If Aidou isn’t determined, then I don’t know what he is,” Akatsuki snorts, however amused, as he slowly shakes his head. He slides next to Ruka in the backseat. Today they are travelling back to town, where Yuuki lives with her child.

“Hmm,” Ruka hums, cheek on her hand. He doesn’t have to ask what she’s thinking because he already knows. She closes her eyes, indicating she doesn’t want to be talked to. She must be tired.

“Wake you up when we get there?”

“Yes.”

And that’s all the conversation they have for the rest of the trip.

 

\--

 

Akatsuki has always known.

Even when they were kids, Ruka has always had a passionate adoration towards the king of vampires. When they got older and enrolled in Cross Academy, Ruka finally made known to Kaname her love, which the master, though didn’t reciprocate, accepted gracefully. They were confused as to why Kaname treated Yuuki Cross so kindly, until they discovered that she was the long lost Kuran princess. That was when Souen Ruka admitted her loss. But even after then, she still continued to love Kuran Kaname.

After the war, before they discovered that Yuuki was pregnant, Akatsuki and Ruka spent a brief time being the school “prefects,” though the scope of their work didn’t involve patrolling the school grounds to keep the Day Class students in their dorms after dark. All they had to do was to guard Kaname’s coffin, because legend had it that a person encapsulated in ice was being kept in the school basement, and as they couldn’t suppress the gossip, they were forced to keep their master secured in his sleep.

Every night, Akatsuki saw Ruka looking at the person inside the ice coffin. He saw the hunger in her eyes—the look of frustration, thwarted longing, unrequited love. Though they’ve been together ever since the first batch of Night Class was dissolved and Kaname was with Yuuki, Akatsuki never knew how to take that sad look in her eyes away. Even when he made her smile, or tried to, he knows he doesn’t know the remedy yet. Perhaps he never will.

Only time can heal her grief.

This was confirmed one dusk, when they were spending a quiet tea party between the two of them.

Ruka was reading a book and Akatsuki, with nothing else to do, found himself staring at the exotic beauty before him. Ruka was a very beautiful person—like, really—everyone knows that. Rima was pretty, but like in a childish way; Yuuki Cross—of course she was good-looking; she shared her looks with her brother Kaname—but Ruka, Ruka,  _Souen Ruka_  was different. She was beautiful in a quiet way. Vampires are beautiful, sure, but that wasn’t sufficient explanation: Ruka had a head-turning magnetism, and once a person would start looking at her, they would want to never tear their eyes off her sophistication. Akatsuki noticed this happening for so many times that he’d coined it, albeit privately, “The Souen Effect.”

Akatsuki has suffered that effect all his life.

“Ruka.”

“Hm?” she didn’t even bother looking up.

“I love you.”

He could sense the temperature drop a tad lower. He thought only Aidou could do that, but apparently Ruka could, too. She was quiet for a long string of seconds. He didn’t see her shoulders heave up or down; she didn’t breathe, perhaps in tension. Akatsuki was afraid he had offended her.

“Thank you,” she said eventually.

Akatsuki didn’t know what to make of that.

She looked at him, finally. There was a smile, albeit sad, on her face. “Thank you, Akatsuki.” Then she stood up to leave, armed with her book, and went inside the house.

Later, when the sun was about to shine and it was time to sleep, Ruka did a gesture that surprised him beyond words. A knock came on his door, and when he opened it, there was Ruka with a piece of paper.

“This came in the mail today,” she said, as he took it. “It’s from your mother.”

“Oh. Thank you.” He was going to close the door, but Ruka put her hand on his cheek.

“Akatsuki.”

“Ruka…?”

“I will never be able to thank you enough.”

“What…what are you saying?”

“It will take time,” her eyes shone, as if with tears, and for the first time, it did so  _for him_. “So please bear with me.”

He held the hand on his face, squeezing it, and sniffed the scent that was her. “I will, Ruka.”

She smiled, and looked away. “Sleep tight.”

Even when her loving him was still so far away, at least he had hope.

 

\--

 

Just when he thought that was the promise of a good future, he was wrong. Things got harder when they were obliged to guide Yuuki in her pregnancy. Akatsuki was a little slow in figuring out why Ruka was often in a bad mood ever since their newfound obligation. It was during one night, then, when he finally discovered the real reason.

Yuuki was fast asleep in her bed and Ruka was watching over her. When he entered the room, he saw Ruka staring at the princess with a sharp, hating look in her eyes, and he knew right then and there that he _had_  to do something.

“Ruka,” he seized her wrist in such haste, he surprised her. Their hands were both in midair.

“What?” the woman seethed.

“If you’re going to do something, remember that  _that_ is Kaname-sama’s child right there. Don’t do anything…daft.”

She let out a small huff, and bit her lip, as if to shield her dignity. “I wasn’t going to do anything. I know my place,” then she started to move towards the door, retreating from the confrontation.

“Ruka.”

She stopped halfway to the threshold.

“If you can’t take it anymore, take a break. I can take care of Yuuki myself,”

Her back was still on him when she responded, “I’m not bitter. I can handle it.”

He wanted to say,  _sure you're not,_  but refrained, remembering his tact. He was going to say something else when what she said next had all his words jammed up in his throat—

“I know what you’re thinking. But as surely as Yuuki will take care of her child, I will protect Kaname-sama’s offspring, too. I will guard that child even at the cost of my own life.”

It was not impossible that Ruka would think like that.

Three months later that incident, Akatsuki found Ruka at the balcony, having tea. The pregnant princess was already being taken care of and was asleep upstairs (she had to sleep even during nights), with Kiryuu looking over her. This was one of the very rare times when Kiryuu Zero would visit to take care of his wife.

“I thought you were going to visit Aidou tonight, Ruka,” was Akatsuki’s opening statement when he approached her.

He received silence for a reply. Ruka was reading a book, and was intensely quiet.

Kain was rather used to scenarios like this. Ruka reading a book was the universal signal for “Souen Ruka is not available for chatting as of the moment.” He sat in the empty seat beside her, a bit awkwardly. This mansion they were living in was of the Kurans’, but even with its immense size, it was full of splendid loneliness. Having someone to sit next to was already a luxury.

“I was going to, but then I had no one to go with,” she replied, which was about fifty seconds late. She closed the book, causing Akatsuki to cock his brow. “And besides, I hate traveling alone. It’s so lonely.” There was something about her in that moment that was not quite… _her_. Her eyes were soft, but not with the usual beauty in them, but something like misery.

“You should’ve told me, then.”

“Would you have come with me?”

“Of course. We do the ‘Buddy System’ every time, remember?” he tried to suggest amusement by chuckling, but Ruka was impervious. She was quiet for a long while, paying the dark front yard a hard look. “Ruka? Ruka, what’s wrong?”

“I’m leaving.”

“Leaving? To where?”

“Leaving this  _mansion,_ Akatsuki,” she stood, turned to him abruptly, tears shining in her eyes, her fists clenched. “I...I can’t take it anymore! I can’t stand this arrangement anymore nor will I ever!”

He stood up, trying to defuse her fit. “Calm down, Ruka,”

“You know very well why I want to leave. I’m leaving first thing tomorrow morning,”

“But Yuuki—”

“You can handle her yourself, as you said. I’m going,” she started to exit, but she was pulled back, only to be caught in an embrace.

“I know how you feel,” Kain whispered, half of his mouth buried in her hair, “I know how it feels like watching the person you love, love someone else. And still continue loving them even when the person is gone,”

By some miracle, she stopped resisting, and started to relax in his hold.

“I know how it feels…to be in rivalry with someone that you also care about,”

“I am tired, Akatsuki.” She stifled a sob, but ended up crying in his arms anyway. “So,  _so_  tired.”

“I know, Ruka,” he soothed her hair. “I know.”

 

\--

 

That morning, Kiryuu was escorting Yuuki to breakfast, when the two were surprised to have a feast set before them.

Kuran Yuuki’s eyes shone with a childish gleam in them—the way they usually did when she was overwhelmed—and asked if there was a birthday or an occasion worth celebrating.

“Your first trimester,” came the answer from the kitchen, by Souen Ruka, carrying a pot. "Not that it matters, since your pregnancy is supposed to last five years but anyway," she looked at everyone with her usual guarded expression, but her aura hinted merry.

Kiryuu had a questioning look on his face, too.

“I know it’s odd, and slightly out of character. I’m not  _tsundere_ though.” She motioned for everyone to sit. It was morning, and only very little sunlight intruded the dining room. “Where’s Akatsuki?”

“He’s getting down,” Kiryuu answered. Just in time, Akatsuki walked in.

“What is that amazing smell?” he said groggily, rubbing his eyes. “It’s still morning.”

“Take a seat, Akatsuki.”

“Ruka?” he snapped awake. He almost blurted out,  _you’re still here_? But she looked like what happened last night didn’t happen—in fact, Ruka had a small smile on her face.

“Let’s eat.”

 

Later that day, when they waved Kiryuu goodbye and Yuuki was back to her room, Ruka approached Akatsuki.

“Let’s pretend that what happened last night never took place,” he thought she didn’t want to be remembered crying over a heartache, but she added, “I thought it over. I said that in the spur of the moment. I was upset— _I’ve been_ upset, because I forgot that this is what Kaname-sama would have wanted. He trusted me then and I think he’d still trust me now. Yuuki Cross visibly also does.”

“So you’re saying…?”

“I’m staying,” she smiled. “I won’t go anywhere, until that child is born.” Here she held his cheek and said, “Thank you, Akatsuki.”

There it was again. He reminds himself that a “thank you” ought to be enough for now. One day she’ll say she loves him too.  _One day_.

“I’m thankful you’re here.”

“Y-you’re welcome, Ruka.”

With one last smile, she went back inside.

 

\--

 

“I’m glad someone’s visiting me, but I’m thinking twice about still feeling so upon knowing that it’s you,” chimes the voice of the child across the wide living room. “What are you doing here?”

The blonde looks up after bowing and introduces himself.

“Oh, an Ichijou. As much as I want to say that I’m pleased to meet you, this isn’t the first time that we’ve met, so don’t expect pleasantries from me.”

“I know, Lord Touma.” Ichijou Takuma sports his normal friendly smile. “But the past is past. It’s been more than a year, yes?”

The child with a tall hat sitting on the high chair narrows his eyes. “I still remember you unsheathing your sword at us, ready to sacrifice your life for the sake of those lowly humans.”

“Each of us had our respective cause back then, my lord,”

In a flash, Lord Touma is suddenly right before Ichijou. He draws a blade he happened to be carrying, earning a gasp from one of his attendants. “Say, how would you feel if  _I_ threaten you the way you threatened us? You had your cause but you  _forgot_ your place. You may be of noble blood but you’re  _still beneath_ the Purebloods. Believe me, I  _never_  forget offenses.”

“My lord, he came here to ask you for a favor.” His attendant says, trying to defuse the situation. “He’s already acknowledging your superiority as of now; please let that be enough,”

Lord Touma stares down at Ichijou for a long, hard moment, and then throws his head back, his voice suddenly a tad higher. “Ehhh? Well that’s boring. I thought he finally repented all his offenses from the last war and came here to ask for judgement,”

Ichijou heaves an inaudible sigh.

The attendant smiles a little. “No, my lord; Ichijou Takuma-san here has a proposition for you,”

Lord Touma returns to his seat and crosses his legs. “Fine. But, first: what’s in it for me?”

Ichijou was pretty confident before he came here, now he’s suddenly at a loss. He should have brought an offer. “It’s a very simple proposal, my lord. I’m afraid I don’t have anything to—” he pauses. It’s very small, but that should make do.

“Favors aren’t always free, you know.” Lord Touma sticks out his tongue. “Too bad; you may leave my presence if you don’t have something to offer,”

“On a second thought, in fact I  _do,_ my lord. And it’s the very core of this bargain.”

The little lord tilts his head. “I’m listening,”

Takuma explains the proposal eloquently, albeit putting pressure upon himself to make the words sweeter. He can’t charm Purebloods, but he does have a way with words.

Lord Touma is amused after hearing everything. “So you’re giving me free meal for that?”

“In a way, my lord, yes.”

“You poor things!” he laughs hysterically. This is why Ichijou volunteered, so his friend wouldn’t have to take this insult. “But why is your friend not here, if  _he’s_ the one actually asking for this—say,  _generosity_?”

“He had some business to take care of, my lord; I was hoping I’d be enough since I am his closest friend.”

“Like a proxy, whatever,” the kid huffs, and hollers at his servants that he wants something to drink. “When is this happening?”

“In five days, my lord; after the graduation at Cross Academy,”

“Interesting,” the Pureblood licks his lips. “If only that place didn’t hold such a tragic memory, I would attend,”

“Your presence would be welcomed, my lord.”

“Oh, really?” he cocks his brow. “Flattery will get you nowhere. Kaien Cross is the chairman of that school so basically that’s Hunters’ territory. Walking right in would spark another quarrel,” he takes a cup from his servant’s tray and sips. “Anyway, tell Aidou Hanabusa that I’ll be waiting for my meal—or, as you’d like to hear it, ‘ _I’d be willing to help_.’”

“Thank you, Lord Touma.”

Ichijou then is dismissed from his presence, but before he’s really out, Lord Touma says something that he nor Aidou would want to hear.  _“This kind of incident hasn’t happened ever since the war. If the human goes berserk with bloodlust…well, are you really ready for the repercussions_?”

 

\--

 

“That’s what he said?” Aidou says, miffed.

Ichijou nods.

Just in time, Sayori comes in, Ruka and Akatsuki accompanying her. Sayori is still wearing her Day Class uniform.

“Planning if you’re inviting Yuuki for Sayori’s graduation party, I guess?” Akatsuki jests, but out of all the people in that living room, only the human was oblivious about the topic. "As her guardian, I'm saying it's not advisable,"

“Yeah, well. We think Princess Pregnant wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Ichijou chuckles, then gestures at Ruka and Akatsuki to bail. “We’re gonna leave you to…whatever. Walk her back to her dorm afterwards, Hanabusa.”

“I will.”

After the three are out, the pair doesn’t immediately start talking. Hanabusa is too immersed in his own thoughts that he doesn’t catch her greeting him a good evening.

“I’m sorry; you were saying something?”

She smiles. “I said, ‘good evening.’”

“Oh, yeah…same,”

She taps the space next to where she’s sitting, and Aidou complies. “What’s the matter?”

“Nothing. How was your day?”

“Today was the last day of my finals. The teachers will be computing the grades and the posting of ranks will be in two days.”

“Did you do well?”

“Yes. Or so I hope. I had a little trouble in chemistry, but I managed.”

“Oh, I see,” then he sinks back into his thoughts, eyeing his shoes as if  _they’re_  the ones he’s conversing with.

“Hanabusa,” it’s her voice that magnetizes him back to reality. Between the two of them, though Aidou is the genius, Sayori is more levelheaded than Aidou would ever be. “If it’s about me being turned after my graduation, tell me. I have the right to know.”

When he looks at her, it’s a look she’ll never forget. His eyes are filled with fear, dismay, and uncertainty. She’s rarely seen him agitated, but this was the first time it was  _like this_. And it scares her, too, because  _she’s_  the cause. “Sayori,” he touches a lock of her hair, and tucks them behind her ear, though the look of fear is still in his eyes. “Don’t leave me.”

“I won’t.” she replies. “That’s why I’m asking you to turn me,”

“You don’t understand—it’s  _beyond_ that.”

“I know I don’t understand everything, Hanabusa. But I’m willing to learn. I’m aware of the possible aftermath but I’m willing to prevent it. But I can’t do it unless you help me,”

His eyes shine, but he blinks hard, and swallows. After a while he says with a short breath, “Right; sorry. Totally forgot about that part of the deal. I was just…scared.”

“Scared that I’ll end up like Fuuka?”

He looks up, and glances at her quickly. “What did you say?”

“Fuuka Kisaragi. I know about her.” she says gently, trying not to worsen his discomfort.

“How…how do you know about her? Tell me!” He rises abruptly from his seat. Frost starts to develop on tables and chairs, and the room temperature drops drastically.

It shakes her that Aidou would go this far in being defensive, but she knows how to deal with him. She always knew. “Calm down,” she begins. “When Chairman Cross knew about us, he invited me over for a talk, and I asked him about that thing you mentioned to me. The history of prefects.”

“He told you…he told you  _everything_?” his fist trembles, and the room gets colder. Ice crystals are starting to grow on the floor.

“No.” Sayori keeps calm. “But I’ve already thought about it. Fuuka Kisaragi was killed for what she did.”

Aidou’s throat starts to tighten. His breathing becomes rapid. “I…”

She holds his hand, though the coldness hurts. She gently pulls him back to his seat. “I won’t delve into that anymore since I wasn’t around that time. But what I’m saying is, I won’t be like her.”

Wakaba wonders why it takes him so long to reply. She didn’t expect this, though: “It was in this very living room.”

Sayori stares at him.

“She passed out. I had to keep watch on her because Kaname-sama told me so.” Aidou takes a deep breath. “Our efforts in suppressing her vampire nature was futile. She really turned into Level E, and we were forced to…get rid of her,”

It doesn’t escape her how much his fist is trembling in her touch.

“But of all people,” Aidou looks at Sayori straight in the eye. “Of all people _, I_ had to do it. And what was worse was that  _she asked me_ to kill her.” when she gasps, he continues, his voice becoming louder, “So do you still want this, Sayori? You can still save yourself.  _Please_. Some things are inevitable no matter how hard you try. I don’t want to see anyone descending into a Level E again, and certainly I don’t want to see _you_ go through what she had to experience!”

She doesn’t know what to say.

“Hanabusa! We noticed the temperature dropping and—” Akatsuki and the rest are forced into a halt upon seeing the scene.

“What…were you talking about?” Takuma balks.

“Akatsuki,” Aidou says without breaking his stare at Sayori. “Kindly escort Sayori to the Sun Dorm.” He yanks his hand away from her gentle hold, and storms out, ice crystals appearing in his wake.

“Wakaba.” Sayori feels strong arms guiding her out of her seat. “Come; let’s go. Aidou was just stressed about something,”

She’s apparently shocked, and doesn’t talk. Until they reach the Sun Dorm doorstep, not a single word comes from her.

“He’ll still come to your graduation, don’t worry.” Akatsuki tries to comfort her. “He never stays angry for too long,” though he suspects that anger wasn’t the cause of the argument. These two often agreed, and for the months that he’s seen their love life, he only saw them argue once, when Hanabusa got upset over Sayori mentioning that arranged marriage was a thing in her family. That time it wasn’t really even an argument; it was more like him being afraid of losing Sayori.

Then that's when Akatsuki understands. This time, it’s not about losing Sayori. It’s  _having_ her in a whole new, different aspect—it’s taking her into their world, the world of vampires, and once she’s in, she won’t be able to get out.

“Senpai,” she finally says, just before he walks away.

“Yes, Wakaba?”

“Has Aidou’s research gone somewhere?”

“Um…usually he updates me. He says it’s still as difficult as it was. They’ve tried it on several vampires, to no avail.”

“I see.” She replies, an aura of quiet firmness being radiated by her. “Please tell him, that I’m always willing to meet him halfway. That is all.”

“I…I will.”

Akatsuki then, goes back to the Moon Dorm.

When he comes back, he hears furious yelling from the wing where Aidou’s room is. He approaches the room, and finds Ruka standing by the door, as if guarding.

“What’s happening?”

“He’s getting a lecture for what he did.”

“Oh. Ruka?”

“Hm?”

“What do you think will happen to those two?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. But being determined while loving makes one stronger. If they push this through, that’s just the beginning of things. They’ll be in for a lot of pain,”

“We’ll never understand…since…we’ve been vampires all our lives. Marrying each other isn’t really a problem,”

“Purebloods only do consanguineous marriages, though.” There’s a downcast look in her eyes, and it goes straight to his heart. “They’re a different case.”

Akatsuki opens his mouth to reply, but he’s lost his words: he knows the meaning behind what she said. He knows the person she’s talking about. “Yeah,” is what he only manages to say, anyway, and he goes to his room.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *screams at all the fail fluff*

* * *

 

The very moment he knew that he could not contain it anymore, Hanabusa knew that denial was of no use and he had to tell her immediately else it would eat him alive. Unlike some people who would confess their love, he barely had any trouble—Wakaba wasn’t one who was very emotional nor showy but it was visible that she liked him, too. Their friendship wasn’t bound to remain simply a friendship.

He had practiced in his head how he would tell her. Not that either of them needed it—it was already mutual, bright as the sun. Five months of continuously seeing each other and the inevitable took place. They had fallen for each other.

He dreamed of meeting her at the stables, inviting her for a ride on one of the horses, and then by some miracle they would get all touchy while astride the steed and that’s when he’d swoop in for the kill— _“Hold on tight, Wakaba; I’d rather you hold me like that.”_  He mentally punched himself for thinking of such shabby lines, being corny, but really, aren’t we all, when we’re in love?

But what he rehearsed to be a heartfelt confirmation of feelings didn’t turn out to be really sweet. It came out really blunt and under unimagined circumstances.

Of course, both of them were still quite cautious whenever their conversations would threaten to invoke sweet exchanges, as both were conscious that even when a mutual romantic understanding is between a pair, modesty should still be exercised. Whenever they met, they would talk and talk nearly for hours, getting a taste of each other’s minds. Sometimes they played chess, or had a picnic; other times they just sat in comfortable silence.

But that day was different. It was a cloudy Saturday, and Aidou was taking Sayori to town for the first time. Wakaba being Wakaba, she answered, “Are you sure, senpai? Aren’t you going to work in the lab?” but Aidou insisted that all was well.

They met at the back gates of the Academy, and Aidou was pretty stunned at the idea that he was taking her out on a date for the first time.

“ _The question, Hanabusa, is not whom you’re falling for_ ,” Ichijou once told him. “ _She’s a_ what. _And you know well_ what _she is._ ”

“ _Don’t you think I’ve already taken that into account by now? It’s none of your business_.” Aidou had replied to Takuma then.

_“Whatever you say. But there will come a time when you’ll have to make a decision that will affect both of you.”_

He sensed that decision coming near when he saw her standing there.

“Hello, Aidou-senpai.”

“Hey. Hope I didn’t come late.”

“Not really.”

“Shall we go?”

Wakaba nodded with a smile, and off they went.

It was a lovely date, and quite productive, too. They bought important commodities, especially for Wakaba, who had a few things she needed. Aidou’s tongue had a grand time trying out sweets every now and then, which Wakaba found somewhat adorable.

But then like all good days, there’s always something bad that happens.

“Don’t freak out.” Aidou said as they were eating parfait, eyeing something behind Wakaba. “I smell a vampire.”

Wakaba blinked, but kept still. “Where, senpai?” she whispered.

“I can’t…really tell. But I think we should bail. It’s unsafe for you,”

“But we just got here. Won’t you finish that?”

“It’s fine,” he insisted. It was the first time she saw him serious like that. Then he took her hand, which quite surprised her, and hastily, they went out.

He was dragging her out when they were halted by a man’s voice, saying, “You dropped something, miss.”

Wakaba turned and saw that indeed, the man was holding her purse. Politely she took it, thanking, “Oh, I didn’t notice. Thank you very—” her wrist was caught in an instant, and the man sniffed her hand.

“You have a lovely smell, miss.”

Aidou was frozen where he was. He saw that familiar insane look in the man’s eyes—it wasn’t something foreign to him. The smell got more intense. _Oh so it was him._

“Wakaba, let’s go.” Aidou tried to say.

“Let go of me,” Wakaba said to the guy, but his grip was strong. “Please.”

“I will, but not before I—” the man licked Sayori’s wrist, his fangs showing, and that’s what pushed Aidou into action.

In the blink of an eye, Hanabusa was standing next to the vampire, hand wrapped around the its throat. “She said let go. Didn’t you hear her?”

Wakaba didn’t notice Aidou was already choking him until the guy was coughing up, and his grip on her was loosening.

“Wakaba, run.”

“Senpai—”

“ _Run_.” It wasn’t likely of Aidou to speak in such a masterful tone. “I’ll take care of him.”

She did as she was told.

 

\--

 

“There you are.”

Sayori looked up, and realized that fifteen minutes had already passed. She’d been spending the last few minutes leaning on the wall beside a shop.“Aidou-senpai!”

“It was a Level E.” Aidou said, standing in front of her. “Give me your hand,”

When she did, he took out a handkerchief, and started furiously rubbing the part where she was licked. “Must—get—saliva—off—”

“Is Level E insanity contagious?” Sayori asked. “What are you doing, senpai?”

He was still pouting and grumbling.

“Senpai?”

“The one time I take you out on a date—the _one time—_ and _this_ happens!” he exclaimed, but his annoyance wasn’t aimed at Sayori. “Damn it, Kiryuu had one job! Why hasn’t he gotten rid of all Level E’s yet? One has even gotten his filthy hands on the one I like!”

Sayori blinked. “ _Oh_.”

Then the rubbing stopped. “I…uh…” Aidou felt more tense than he were a while ago, during the encounter with the Level E. Sweat started to bead on his temples, as he felt his chest pounding. _Oh, no. What if it was just one-sided? What if I’d deluded myself all this time that she feels the same too? What if—_

“It’s alright, senpai,” she put her hand on his, getting a hold of the handkerchief. She folded it and returned it to him, all the while with Aidou standing dumbly there like that. “I’m alright; thank you for worrying about me. Let’s head back; it’s already late.” She took a few steps forward, Aidou looking at her back.

_She didn’t even say anything._

He felt something inside him sting. There went his one chance of confessing, and not even one thing went as planned.

For the month that ensued after that incident, Aidou barely showed up at the stables, even during cloudy days. It was over. She didn’t reciprocate his feelings and he was a fool for believing she would.

“Love trouble, I believe?” Takuma said behind Hanabusa, as the two were in the laboratory. “It’s cloudy outside; I checked. Aren’t you going to the stables?”

He was answered with a grumpy snort.

“Hanabusa.” Takuma put his hand on the other blonde’s shoulder. “Did you fight?”

“No!” Aidou sighed. “It’s…it’s even worse.”

“What happened?”

“Remember that Saturday when we went out? I…kind of slipped that I like her.”

It was rude to laugh at someone’s troubles, so Ichijou resisted the urge, even when his friend looked adorable when in agony. He was lucky he had someone to love. Ichijou’s spent most of his life worshipping Purebloods by being in their service but turned out he was just being used as a pawn. “And what did she say?”

“She just…” Aidou’s shoulders sagged. “She ignored it. Totally ignored it. It’s like she heard nothing.”

“Maybe she was just being modest. You know how she is. So full of tact and all. What, you were expecting her to jump into your arms and spontaneously kiss you, claiming that she likes you too?”

Aidou felt guilty because part of him _did_ expect that. But then that wouldn’t have been Wakaba, at all—if she reacted like that. “I—I don’t know! What if I did?”

“Gosh, aren’t you the cutest thing when you’re in love!” Takuma laughed as he ruffled Aidou’s head.

“Cut it out!”

“Seriously, though. What do you plan on doing? You can’t just abruptly end your friendship just because she doesn’t like you back. That would be immature.”

“I don’t know; stop asking me!” really, what was he going to do? He has come to a point of no return—being dumped was something foreign to Aidou. During his days as a student at Cross Academy he was worshipped by nearly all of the students, and that one time that a girl liked him and he liked her back…well, that ended on a bitter note. Long story short, he had to kill her. “I just…ugh. Takuma, take care of the lab for today for me. I want to sleep.”

The other shrugged. “As you wish.”

One of the most effective methods of forgetting one’s troubles is going to sleep. Sure, the problem doesn’t go away but still, a relief, an escape, is always preferable. Aidou slept like a log for nine hours, he woke up at dinner time.

“Hanabusa, get down; we’re having dinner.” Takuma came in without even knocking.

“Look at you.” Rima cocked a brow, pocky in her mouth. “Prefect’s not around and you look like you’ve lost the reason to live.”

Aidou just did a grunt, not even interested in paying a retort.

“Hi, Hanabusa.” Shiki greeted him as he took his seat.

“Hey.” The blonde responded torpidly, and also nodded at Akatsuki and Ruka at the other side of the table. Four of them got down here for tonight. Maybe there was an occasion?

Takuma came waltzing in the dining room, carrying a plate of desserts. “Now, there’s that! But that’s for later. You must all be wondering why we have a feast tonight.”

“We know; it’s your birthday.”

“Exactly!” the celebrant clapped. “Thank you for remembering, Ruka. Unlike _some people_ whom I practically live with, you remembered!” with a sharpened look at Aidou. “Everyone’s here now, except for—”

The doorbell rang.

“Except for that.” Takuma chuckled. “Hanabusa, would you kindly get that, please?”

“Fine,” he snorted as he rose from his seat. He was expecting Kiryuu, Seiren, Chairman Cross, even Yuuki.

Never had he been so wrong.

“Oh! Aidou-senpai.” Wakaba Sayori yelped when the door was opened. “Good evening. Am I late?”

Aidou could swear his heart jumped to his throat. All the remaining sleepiness in him was gone in an instant, as his face started to burn in embarrassment. “Uh, yes, I mean—no. Come in,”

As soon as they reached the dining room, Takuma was instantly met with an _I will kill you, Takuma_ glare from Hanabusa. Gladly, the birthday celebrant took it like a sport. Meanwhile, Wakaba was welcomed warmly by everyone in the room—or as warmly as a bunch of stoic vampires could manage, at least. And of all the places in the table, Wakaba was told to sit _beside_ Hanabusa.

“She sits here. You don’t mind, do you?” Takuma smiled angelically at Aidou.

“Ugh.”

“Good. Wakaba, sit here, please.”

Aidou could swear he almost didn’t eat during that dinner.

When dinner ended, Aidou realized where this night was heading. With what was within his power he tried to flatter Shiki with wiles that he could think of, just to _not_ do the obligation he’d be bound to do later. Unfortunately the emotionless Shiki was already convinced beforehand by the birthday celebrant not to do any of Aidou’s requests for that night.

That’s why when the little party came to an end and all possible topics for chitchat was exhausted, Aidou wanted to dash back to his room and stay there until everyone— _everyone_ had gone home. But of course, he couldn’t do that. He was way too honorable to do that.

“Well, we should get going. Princess Pregnant would barely manage without us,” Akatsuki smiled at everyone, as Ruka and he started to get moving. “Wakaba, anything you want to tell Yuuki?”

“Send her my regards, please.” The Day Class student answered. “And to Zero-kun, too.”

“Noted. Well, we should get going. See you soon,” and the pair went out.

“You guys staying here for tonight?” Aidou asked Shiki and Rima.

Rima nodded. “We’ve no appointments for a week. We’ll be staying here for the duration of that.”

Aidou sighed. At least he had housemates that weren't Takuma and his constant teasing, for at least a few days.

Although, to his immense disappointment, Shiki and Rima had started ascending the stairs, going to their rooms. He wanted to yell, _you can’t do that!_ But he knew the moment he dreaded had come when Wakaba said, “Me too, I should get going; I have classes tomorrow.”

And Ichijou followed it up with a, “Hanabusa, walk Sayori-chan to the Sun Dorm.”

 _For crying out loud, Takuma._ Hanabusa made a mental note to be wary of Ichijou’s potential for scheming next time.

Walking her back to the Sun Dorm wasn’t like in the first months of their friendship. Wakaba seemed impervious to the awkwardness—that, or she didn’t show it—but Aidou felt awkward with every fiber in his body. Before, he could tell her anything random and she’d listen. He wasn’t the sharing type when it came to problematic stuff, but with Wakaba he’d shared some of his secrets. Like how he still had nightmares about his father dying (supposedly) before him. Sure, it was just some ruse orchestrated by Kaname-sama, and his father is very much alive now—but seeing your father getting his head chopped off wasn’t a pretty sight. The trauma  still lived within.

He was about to try giving a conversation a shot when it started to rain.

Instinctively, he grabbed Wakaba by the arm and started running. “Run, run! You’re going to get sick if you stay out here any longer!”

They ran for a few steps but Wakaba pulled back. “Aidou-senpai, it’s fine. I’m still going to get wet, no matter.”

“What are you saying? Come on!”

She shook her head, smiling. They were getting soaked by the minute.

“Let’s at least try to get some shelter!” they retreated back to the Moon Dorm; Sayori’s dorm was still some meters away.

“Back too soon?” Takuma glanced, and yelped, “Sayori-chan! You’re soaking wet!” instantly he’d made a run around the house to look for a towel for the guest to use. “Ugh, I’m sorry; all this happened because of me.”

“It’s not your fault, senpai. I enjoyed your party anyway.”

Takuma sighed. “Aidou, go change. I’ll tend to her.”

“No; I’ll do it.”

"Oh?" this earned a stifled giggle from Takuma. "Well, then. I'll be going upstairs. Knock if there's any problem,"

"Hmmkay," Aidou stooped before Sayori, laying down a pair of slippers she could use. “Are you okay?”

“Hmm-mm.”

“Aren’t they going to look for you at your dorm?”

“Probably. But it’s not the first time I’m not around for bed check. They know I have other whereabouts at night. I’d rather be here, anyhow.”

“Why?”

“I don’t have a roommate. Not one since Yuuki left. And it’s kind of lonely,”

“It’s at times like this when I want to say, ‘I’m sorry,’ as if you lost someone.” Aidou chuckled. “Well, we both lost her. In a way.”

Wakaba merely bowed her head with a small smile. “Thank you, Aidou-senpai.”

“Don’t mention it; I had to bring you back here. Couldn’t let you get sick,”

“No, not that; I mean…what happened a month ago,” the smile had vacated from her face, replaced by a cautious expression.

 _And you really had to bring that up? Here it goes—she’s going to dump me. Officially._ “Well, uh, about that…”

“I was surprised. I never imagined I’d hear that from you, senpai. And I’m sorry,”

_There it goes._

“Sorry I…didn’t react properly.” She took a deep breath.

“No, ha-ha. It’s fine. That was stupid of me, anyway,” Aidou flapped his hand at her. “Forget about it. Friends again?”

“No.” She shook her head, this time the smile reoccupying her mien. “Well, it'd be weird if friends felt like that towards each other,”

Aidou thought that _that_ was when his world had shattered. Then the sentence made a full impact on him. “I…Wakaba?”

Wakaba Sayori laughed, not like in some other people’s boisterous way, but in her own manner—a little stifled laughter, with a slightly clenched fist at the bottom lip.

“No way!” Aidou blushed furiously, dramatically stumbling backwards. “No way, no way! You should’ve told me sooner! I spent a _month_ agonizing over that!”

“I was a little too stunned at the moment to react. And I couldn’t make it clear to you, since you barely showed up at the stables.”

“No way!” he covered his face with both hands. “No way, no way, _no way_!”

“What? What happened?” Takuma came descending down the stairs in a haste. “What’s going on?”

"Yori-chan" looked at Ichijou-senpai with a merry, yet also sly look in her eyes, while Aidou was furiously blushing, doing a weird pose on the floor, freaking out.

Ichijou instantly read what was going on, and could only beam at the adorable sight. “Aidou Hanabusa, you disgrace, take it like a man!”

 

\--

 

Word’s gotten around that Wakaba Sayori of Class 3-B has a boyfriend that she meets up with at night. But aside from the rumor that the said boyfriend is an insider at Cross Academy, the juicier information is the surprising notion no one would have dreamed of—Wakaba Sayori _knew_ how to get her way with guys.

The gossip about her isn’t that bad. She has nothing to hide; it’s the truth anyway. Although she never disclosed the identity of this ‘boyfriend’ of hers (he’s more like a fiancé now, really; they’ve had the intention of getting married—in a way at least) for fear that the students may remember him and for those whose memories weren’t erased, they’d be scared that Sayori is in a relationship with a "monster."

“Is your boyfriend attending the graduation, Sayori-chan?” one of her classmate asks cheerfully. “We’ve _always_ wondered how he looks like,”

“I…maybe. Probably.” She answers, but her certainty is wavering. She remembers their fight last night, and they hadn’t made up yet.

 _Akatsuki-senpai said he wouldn’t be mad for too long_. Sayori knows that the best way to manage Hanabusa is by the law of contraries—never badger him, and he’ll relent. But that’s not her worry as of now. She’s afraid that what they’ve been planning and what’s she’s prepared herself for months isn’t going to come true. She can’t blame Aidou: he’s stained his hands with blood and has carried the guilt of it ever since, but she’s pretty sure she won’t be like _her—_ Fuuka Kisaragi, the girl who fell into Level E. Not with Aidou on her side. Why, Yuuki had helped Zero overcome his dangerous bloodlust, so why not her? Sure, she’s no Hunter whose genes have the tenacity of ancestors who withstood the toxin of vampire blood long ago, but she believes—she _deludes_ herself, that love will be enough. They may not have as wonderful a love story as Kiryuu and Yuuki's or even Kaname and Yuuki's, but at least they're trying with what they have and what they are.

So that’s what she keeps in mind when even in the morning of her graduation, no sign of Aidou manifested. 

What she gets is nothing but a bunch of white lilies left at her table with a note: _“Father has commissioned me to do something important. I can’t come. Anyway, congratulations.”_

It doesn’t escape her friends how sad she looks for the entire duration of the graduation ceremony.

Ichijou is present, however. Ruka and Akatsuki have gone back to Yuuki; Rima and Shiki have failed to come because a.) they didn’t really feel obliged, though they cared a bit for Aidou’s fiancée; and b.) they have an appointment. Models are supposedly busy people.

“Congratulations, Sayori-chan! Not everyone is present—well, almost _no one_ is present, really—anyway, I hope I’ll suffice.” The green-eyed male laughs.

“Thank you, senpai. Where did Hanabusa’s father send him to?”

There’s a look of confusion in Ichijou’s face, but it leaves after shortly, not long enough for her to study it. “Say, you know how they are. They’ve got tons of businesses! Nobles are rich guys. I’m pretty sure you can understand.”

“Well, yes.”

“Smile, Sayori-chan!” he cheers. “I’m sure Hanabusa also feels sorry for not being able to come. But no worries; he’ll make up for it, I'm sure,”

She’s about to agree when someone says behind her, "You must be Aidou Hanabusa, then.”

A woman’s voice says, then, “Oh my, I’m very glad to finally meet my daughter’s special friend! Such a handsome young man.”

Sayori is about to correct the grave misunderstanding but Ichijou beats her to it. “Oh, it’s a pleasure to meet you too, Mr and Mrs Wakaba. However, I am not Aidou Hanabusa. I’m merely his friend.”

“But didn’t you go for a family dinner once? Isn’t Aidou Hanabusa blonde?” the said Mr. Wakaba huffs.

“I never had the pleasure of dining with you, sir; I’m Ichijou Takuma, a common friend of your daughter and Aidou Hanabusa.” He bows.

“Alright. But where _is_ Aidou Hanabusa?” asks Sayori’s father.

Yori steps forward and tries to cover up for him. She knows he’ll be really displeased, but she’s going to try. “He’s out for his father’s business, _otoo-sama_. He tried to come but couldn’t. I’m pretty sure you understand. Our families have once been partners in trade.”

Yori’s father rubs his chin. He still looks sour, but seeing that there’s nothing he could do about it, just nods. “Very well. Congratulations, Sayori. We’re proud of you. You told me still have some matters to settle here, so your mother and I will be returning to our town. Be sure to get home after you’ve settled your obligations so we can hold the party,” and then the father turns his back, and walks away.

Her mother, however, lags behind. She smiles at her daughter with a timid smile, as if apologizing for the father’s apathy. “He means it, honey. We are very proud of you and your achievement. But we should get going. We have a meeting after this,” Mrs. Wakaba kisses her daughter then, and follows her father.

Once they’re out of earshot, Takuma says, “Honestly, I was expecting something more than that.”

“That was the closest I can get to a demonstration of affection,” Sayori replies nonchalantly. She must have lived like this all her life—no wonder she seems so stoic.

“That’s how it’s like, with you? In your family?” Takuma asks. “Maybe that’s why you’re…how do I say this. Cool? Calm? No, wait. Reserved.”

Sayori just smiles. “Perhaps that’s why Hanabusa and I go along very well,”

“In any case, where do you want to go? Celebrations always mean food. Where do you want to go, miss honor student?”

Wakaba persuades him to eat at where Aidou likes to. At least she feels like she’s with him while she’s eating his favorite course.

“Senpai.”

“Hmm?”

“Hanabusa…doesn’t want me to be turned, does he?”

Takuma swallows his food hard without having chewed it well. He thinks he should have prepared beforehand for the questions coming. “That’s not for me to say, Sayori.” He replies. “But you should know that he wants to be with you with all of him. For the rest of his life, he’d go as far as that. But some wishes come with a dangerous price.”

“He’s promised me that he won’t let me turn into a Level E.”

“Yes. But he’s still having reservations. Not on standing by you, but rather, he’s afraid to put you in agony almost no mortal could withstand. Yuuki and Zero beat Zero's bloodlust, but almost every night it won. Believe me, Yuuki’s blood is smelt almost every night in our dorm. Good thing Kaname-sama was there to snap us out of it,”

“But Hanabusa’s blood _will_ suffice, yes? I don’t need a Pureblood to suppress the bloodlust.”

“Actually, you do. The blood of a Pureblood—especially the one who bit you, is as satisfying as the blood of the one you love the most. But, since it’s Lord Touma we’re talking about here…well, let’s just say Aidou’s blood should do it.”

Sayori lowers her head, staring at her bowl. “This Pureblood called Lord Touma…what kind of person is he?”

“Oh, dear.” Ichijou took a deep breath, leaning back on his chair. “Let’s just put this simply. He can be quite…demanding. Why’d you ask?”

“Tomorrow.” The next moment she looks at him, her eyes are full of defiance, so unlike the usual monotony in them. “I’ll meet him. Wasn’t it supposed to be the day after today?”

“But, Sayori-chan,” Ichijou stutters. “Without Aidou’s permission—”

“This is a decision I myself made,” she says calmly, but every word seeps with pressure. Instantly Takuma figures out that Sayori isn’t one to be refused once she’s set her mind on something. “For him. We both want the same thing. His silence right now means nothing will happen. Tomorrow night, I will meet Lord Touma.”

“Sayori-chan…” Ichijou gulps, and sighs. “Fine. But don’t let me be the one to say ‘I told you so,’ when the time of regret comes.”

“I won’t. I’ve prepared myself a long time ago.” She sounds confindent. Ichijou hopes that confidence never wears thin.

 

\--

 

When he gets home that night, he kicks Hanabusa lightly on his bed. “Really, using your father as an excuse? That’s just low, Hanabusa. I thought you were better than that. You _slept_ throughout your fiancée’s graduation! How could you?”

Hanabusa hisses, fangs showing. “I _did_ go out to do something! Don’t speak like you know everything!” he shivers under the covers; his entire body is blanketed up to his chin.

“Are you…okay?” Takuma sits on the bed, and touches Hanabusa’s forehead. “You look pale.”

“No.” Aidou swats his hand away. “I’m fine. Now go away; I want to sleep.”

“If…if you say so.” Answers Ichijou. “There’s food downstairs; help yourself if you can. If not, just knock on my door.”

“Yeah, yeah; lock the door when you leave.”

When Ichijou gets out, Aidou takes off the sheets and opens the drawer on the bedside table, and hastily drinks all of his remaining blood tablets. “Damn it. He drank too much,” he curses.

He touches his neck, or specifically, the spot where the bandage is—the bandage that conceals the bite mark.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (nomnomnom)

Something about Ichijou bringing Senri Shiki and Touya Rima along makes Sayori rethink her decision.

“Apologies for not being able to attend your graduation, Wakaba-san,” Touya says, munching on a pocky. Senri says the same thing, too.

Sayori affords a small smile, saying that it’s alright.  _Even Hanabusa wasn’t there, anyway._  She addresses to Ichijou a look of worry, but the blonde merely smiles with a nod, and says that they should go on their way. It doesn’t make her feel any better— _maybe she should’ve told Hanabusa about this?_ But he’ll just disagree again, and thwart the plan that he himself was supposed to be a part of.

She takes a deep breath.  _This is for him, too, anyway._ Perhaps he’ll even thank her afterwards.

They board a train, and the trip lasts for more than two hours. Soon enough, she finds herself in a mansion of a sinister aura. She recalls this one time when she was the only human in a soiree full of vampires, and everyone was staring at her with the lust obvious in their faces. She was under the protection of Hunters back then. Now, she’s walking straight into the situation she very much avoided more than a year ago.

One of the servants bows, welcoming them, ushering them to the wide huge parlor. After this, she won’t be the same Wakaba Sayori ever again. There’s a mixture of nervousness and elation in her— _it will be okay; it will be okay._ It’s not like she came up of this without thinking of it through.

“You know the guy named Vincent Van Gogh, Sayori-chan?” Ichijou smiles while they wait for the aforementioned Lord Touma.

“Yes.”

“ _‘What’s done in love is done well_ ,’” Sayori looks at him, and he’s looking back at her with a patronizing—albeit slightly cautious—smile. “He once said.”

“Thank you, senpai.”

“For? The quote?”

“That,” she says. “And for coming with me here.”

“That's what friends are for, Sayori-chan.”

Their conversation is cut short when Sayori feels someone beside her in close proximity, and a mouth whispers into her ear, “I see his point. You  _do_ look delicious,”

She yelps, and recoils. Before she even knows it she’s already shielded by Rima and Shiki. And before them, she sees a child— _a child?_ —with a tall hat, sharp fangs, and evil demeanor. She squeezes the two by the forearm and whispers to them, “It’s fine. I can take care of this,”

They look like they’re about to argue, but back down. It’s not like this is  _their_ business, anyway. Slowly, they step aside, making an opening for Wakaba to step forward.

Sayori straightens her posture and bows. “Good evening, Lord Touma.”

“You must be  _her_ , then.” The child smiles, his tongue licking the perimeter of his lips. “The human everyone’s making a ruckus about.”

“I’ve come here to do business,” Sayori replies, her voice fair and cool. The little lord disappears, and reappears sitting on the big chair beside the fireplace.

“You’ve come here to offer your blood, I suppose?”

“Yes.”

The Pureblood tilts his head with a confused look on his face, and chuckles. “Seems like you guys weren’t on the same page. I wonder why that is?” Sayori’s about to ask about the person closest in mind—Aidou Hanabusa—what of him? But her question is already swept aside when the child beckons her to come closer to his throne-like seat.

With one last look at her companions, Wakaba Sayori approaches.

 

\--

 

“You should at least have the decency of informing him,” once Ichijou was at of the door, he found Rima leaning on the wall next to it.

“That’s what I just did.”

“By leaving a note?” she stands straight. “And if he reads that when it’s too late?”

“Look. I promised Sayori-chan that I won’t tell Hanabusa. But it’s unfair for him, and especially this is Sayori-chan’s life at stake, and anything could happen…” The blonde sighed. “I think I’m doing the right thing.”

“If that’s what you think is best.” Rima replied. “Tell me, did you bring us because you’re scared?”

“Honestly? Yes.”

 “If it came to  _after_ the turning, and she craves for blood without Aidou around, who’s gonna give her blood?”

“I will.” Ichijou replied. “I hope I will suffice. But let’s just get home immediately.”

 “If you say so.”

 

\--

 

He’s pretty sure this has happened before.

“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” he turns to the person beside him, lying on the slope of grass near the stables.

The girl with short hair smiles. “Despite of the losses, at least we’re still here, and Yuuki and Zero-kun are alright,”

“But, what do you think had happened if Yuuki wasn’t turned human?”

“She could have kept living as a princess,” the wind gently blows by, rustling the grass. “But then, I never would have met her and we wouldn’t have been friends. That would be sad,”

“Would it be, though?”

She glances at him. “What do you mean, Hanabusa?”

“If you’ve never met a person, how would you miss them?”

Sayori redirects her stare at the cloudy sky above, stirring the thought in mind. “Perhaps you’d spend your life yearning for a kind of company you cannot quite name,”

“Really?” Aidou chuckles, and shifts in his position, rolling closer to her, and is now lying on his stomach. “And if you’ve never met me?”

This earns a small giggle from her. He knows that laugh—it’s the  _Aidou-senpai is getting cheesy again_  kind of laugh, something that embarrasses him, but at the same time he doesn’t mind getting embarrassed by so. “I think I would have found someone else.”

“But you said you’d yearn!  _For me!_ ” he whines.

“Yes,” she replies, and for the fraction of a second, he catches the sadness in her voice and face. “And I’d be quite content with what I have, but will forever be oblivious that something— _someone_ could suffice better,”

He rests his head closer to hers, and whispers, “Damn. That’s the saddest, deepest thing I heard today.”

She turns to him, their noses almost touch. “But you agree with me?”

“I’m afraid so,” and without really thinking about it, he gently puts his forehead on hers. A painful kind of sadness bubbles in the pit of his stomach, and it makes him afraid. “You can’t miss what you don’t remember, after all.”

 

He wakes up with a teardrop sliding down his left cheek.

He pushes the heel of his palm down his eye. It was a dream, but more like a replay of a conversation they had before. He gets up, groggily, and reaches for the glass of water on his bedside table. At least he feels better now. One thing that’s he’s most thankful for about being a vampire is having regenerative abilities, because it’s handy at times like this, but ever since he found the notebook of Kaname-sama’s research, he began to loathe this blessing. He couldn’t find a way to suppress these abilities, the renewing of their cells that happens more frequently than the average human's—these just make his experiments even more difficult.

It’s after he drinks his water when he sees it.

“What…” it’s a note from Ichijou. He opens it and reads, and it whips him into a frenzy as soon as he finishes:

 

_I want to be fair with you so I’m telling you this. Sayori-chan insisted._

_We’re going to Lord Touma’s mansion tonight. I can’t stop her. It’s all up to you now._

 

“No,  _no_ ,” he jumps out of his bed after overcoming the initial shock. Immediately he changes clothes, and while he gets dressed, his hand lands on the bandage on his neck.  _All that pain, and all for nothing?_

 _Please, please let me get there in time_. He prays as he rushes his way there, unmindful of the dizziness that still lingers onto him. He doesn’t know what time they got off or what time that note was left. He doesn’t even know how long he was asleep.

Yesterday—if it really  _was_  yesterday, he’d lost track of time—he went to Lord Touma to cancel the plan, not even attending Sayori’s graduation because what he was about to do something far more important. He remembers the little lord being immensely displeased, but as to appease him, he gave him the best that was at his disposal: himself. But  _what the heck_ , he didn’t see this one coming. He thought their fight would be enough to extinguish her determination. How terribly wrong he was!

“Sometimes, I think,” he mumbles to himself. “She’s just as stubborn as Yuuki Cross.”

He may be right.

 

\--

They were ushered out as soon as Wakaba Sayori approached Lord Touma.

“It’d be better if you don’t see.” The servant says, not even the least bit concerned. If she were, she might have concealed it well. Perhaps this wasn’t an unusual event here in the mansion—Lord Touma taking someone in for a “meal.”

They wait outside the parlor in dejected quiet.

“I don’t think you guys have thought this through.” Rima says, turning to Takuma.

“What?”

“This isn’t really the problem, you know. If she falls into Level E, what will you do then? You know there’s only one option. She either falls into the hands of the Hunters, or to us.”

“No, there’s a third option.” He replies. “They’ve promised each other that Sayori won’t fall into Level E. Yuuki and Kiryuu managed to do that, so why not them?”

“Kiryuu was a different case,” says Shiki. “He had Kaname-sama as his patron, and he had drank the blood of the most powerful vampires, remember?”

 _Kaname-sama, Yuuki, and Hio Shizuka._ “I know. But they’re determined.  _If there’s a will, there’s a way,_ right?”

Just then a sharp but cut short scream tears through the air, alarming them. Of course it had come from the room, and Takuma almost opens the twin doors, but it’s locked.

From inside the room, they hear the little lord’s voice clearly, “ _Try coming in_ ,” it says, “ _And you’ll be next_.  _I’m sure you’ll be pleasured to leave us alone, yes?_ ”

And as vampires under the tier of Purebloods, they’re hyptonized into obedience with his mere voice.

 

\--

 

He doesn’t realize he’s run out of breath until he reaches the gates of the mansion. He’s met by a maid, who promptly addresses him with a look that clearly says,  _you again_? But he reintroduces himself politely still. “I’ve come here for someone.”

“Please wait here.” The servant says as he is ushered inside. “Lord Touma will meet you shortly. He’s doing business with a few nobles…and a human.”

“No!” he says instantly. “It’s not him I’m here for. Please. Where are the nobles you’re talking about? Take me to them!”

The servant looks at him with a solemn look in her face, and it strikes him square in the gut that  _he’s too late_. “Come with me.”

 

\--

 

“Sayori-chan,” Ichijou shakes the collapsed Sayori in his arms. “Sayori-chan.”

“The bleeding’s not stopping,” Rima says, looking at the bite marks on Wakaba’s neck, and barks at the little lord, “You—!”

“Drank too much?” the Pureblood laughs. “There’s no  _too much_  when it comes to feeding, silly girl. I gave her what she wanted; she should be grateful. But I wonder, though, why she still came here…”

“What are you talking about?” Ichijou asks.

“The other blonde,” Lord Touma saunters to the exit. “What’s his name? Aidou? He came here yesterday to offer himself in her place.”

Then it all clicks together, and Ichijou almost screams.  _It all makes sense now_. Why Aidou was feeling sick from yesterday, why he never got up from his bed,  _why he was covering his entire body with the blanket_. “Why did  _you_ still agree to this? You fooled her into making this bargain when Aidou already did!”

“ _I_ didn’t fool her. Why blame me? It’s not my fault you didn’t talk about it amongst yourselves,” he laughs, and prances closer to the threshold. “As long as there’s food, I don’t care.”

“You horrible little prick—”

Shiki prepares to attack, but Lord Touma says, his voice a tad lower, “Know your place, Senri Shiki. You  _know_ that what you’re about to do is taboo. Even if you’re half of what I am, don’t think you’re as powerful as I am,  _Kuran Rido’s son_ ,” and he disappears.

Shiki recoils as if he’d been punched between the eyes. Rima holds his hand tight, shaking her head. “Don’t. What’s done is done. He’s not worth it.”

Sayori, on the other hand, regains consciousness.

“Wakaba!”

“Sayori-chan!”

“Are you…” Ichijou gulps. “How are you feeling?”

“Thirsty…” she mutters, her lip quivering. “So thirsty…”

Shiki and Rima look at him with worry, telepathically sending,  _but Aidou’s not here_.

“Water…please…”

“No, Sayori-chan.” Takuma frees his left hand to undo the first few buttons of his shirt, to reveal his neck. “Here. I know I’m not Hanabusa, but this will have to do for now,”

Immediately, her eyes glow red and she pants rapidly, and her fangs sink into her friend’s neck. Takuma nobly stifles the painful scream building up in his throat.  _Get back, get back_! He swings his arm at the other two, who have been ready to take counter measures should the emergency arise.

“ _So thirsty,_ ” She says, after a few gulps. The Wakaba Sayori they know—the sweet, calm Wakaba Sayori—has officially died and has been replaced by this savage newborn. “ _More_ ,”

“It’s fine; go on,” Takuma squeezes between gritted teeth. “Drink till you’re sated, Sayori-chan,”

Senri and Touya could only watch in horror as their friend is slowly being devoured like that.

“Shiki…Rima…” Takuma says just before he passes out. “Go outside. Aidou’s here…”

 

 


	8. Chapter 8

He doesn’t clearly remember how it all happened, either.

When he opens his eyes, he realizes he’s surrounded by white coated in orange—white walls, white ceiling, all bathed in the orange sunlight of the near-dusk. At first, he can’t feel his legs but manages to wriggle his toes. His head, his body, his neck— _his neck_ —hurt a lot, like he’s been run over by a huge vehicle repeatedly, mercilessly. But when he moves his left arm he feels an extra weight that isn’t _really_ a part of him. His left arm is fashioned sideways, in the grasp of a hand that belongs to another body.

He sees her, and realizes that this isn’t a dream.

“Sayori.” he mumbles, his voice barely there. “Sayori…” _what in the world happened?_ He wants to ask, but the girl across him is asleep as well. He remembers dashing out of the dorm despite of the dizziness still clinging onto him; an agonizing train ride, and a run to the mansion that had him gasping for his breath. He remembers _fear_ —fear that he wouldn’t make it in time, and that was what indeed happened: he was too late. He remembers Ichijou lying on the floor face-first, neck bleeding; and Wakaba Sayori looking at her blood-stained hands and eyes red as the fluid on her. He remembers screaming: the screech of horror by the one he loves, that never has he even heard speak in a loud voice.

He remembers Sayori becoming a vampire.

“So it wasn’t a dream, huh…” he wants to complain about it; about how unfair all of this is, that after that painstaking sacrifice it wasn’t even enough to snap her out of it. But he doesn’t even have that kind of energy as of now. All he feels is gladness that they’re alive and well, that even with Sayori’s frenzy caused by bloodlust she didn’t do dangerous things, like jump out of the window, or something, and then go hunt down innocent humans for blood. With that they would have had to call the Hunters, and they’ll be forced to exterminate her.

Aidou could laugh. At least the worst case scenario didn’t happen. He squeezes her hand tight, and, without letting go, he gets up from the bed and groggily makes his way to the bed next to his, which is about a foot away.

“Sayori…” he kneels, looking at her face, his eyes welling up. “I’m sorry…”

 

\--

 

“You must be wondering,” Ichijou says later at tea, about thirty minutes to midnight. “How you guys got here.”

Aidou examines Takuma. He’s sporting his usual friendly smile, although he’s visibly worn out. There’s a bandage on his neck that’s used to conceal Sayori’s bite. Usually vampires rapidly recover from wounds and injuries, but perhaps Sayori just consumed too much of Takuma.

“Oh, this,” he puts a hand on the thing Aidou is staring at, and chuckles. “Man, she’s got a real nasty bite. Have I mentioned that she bites as good as a regular vampire? Believe me, she doesn’t need any training. You know that, right? You even have it, yourself…” Ichijou looks at Aidou’s neck.

He’s lost so much blood in a matter of two days. Commendable, but hazardous. “I know,” he holds his nape. “But I only remember this. What happened after we passed out?”

“As Shiki and Rima told me, it went like this: Sayori-chan drank my blood. She drank too much, that I passed out,” (he grimaces while telling the story) “and then you came and she attacked—er, I mean, _drank_ your blood. Since you were sick and you were worn out from traveling _and_ she drank too much of your blood, you lost consciousness. Sayori-chan was still savage and so Rima had to…say, _do something_.”

“Savage?”

“Yes. Guess being a newborn really isn’t easy, huh?”

“Takuma,” Aidou’s fist shakes. “Are you…okay? Answer me honestly.”

“If you consider recovering _okay_ , then I am. But that doesn’t matter now, really. What we have to do is come up of something that will conceal Sayori from the world while she’s still…what do we call this. _Training_?”

“Okay. But, first, finish your story. How come I woke up here in the Moon Dorm?”

Ichijou sips tea. “Well, first we had to rest at the Touma Mansion. The head maidservant was kind enough to let us.”

“What did Lord Touma say?”

“He was like, ‘whatever’. Apparently he didn’t care. Now, as I was saying, you got any idea as to where we’re keeping Sayori while you teach her? She’s supposed to come home after graduation, you know,”

“I know.” They _have_ talked about this, but now that things have come awry, would everything still happen as planned? What if Sayori goes berserk and kills everyone there? What would they do then? “If, say, I went with Sayori to the party and keep an eye on her there, then, uh...”

“That would be easy. But remember: this is a lifetime commitment. Sayori has dreams of going to a university to get a degree. Don’t tell me you’re going to tag along wherever she’s going?”

Aidou frowns. “Thanks a lot, mister sunshine.”

“I’m just telling the truth. Okay, how about this: we go with you when Sayori comes home. Her dad wants to hold a party for her, right? Then we take her back here and finalize matters. First things first,”

“Nice. And I’ll tell her father that we’re going on a long vacation for the break.”

Ichijou nods, looking at the pale moon that’s slowly being covered by the silver clouds. “Hanabusa.”

“Oh?”

“Why don’t you just…you know…”

Aidou _has_ thought of it before. In fact he and Sayori have talked about it, but it was only by mention and silent agreement. Perhaps now is the time to make it official. “Yes. I know, I know,” Hanabusa chuckles after Ichijou says his suggestion. “I’ve been thinking about it, too.”

 

Later, he goes back to the room where Sayori is, and is astounded to find her awake, sitting on the side of the bed with her legs dangling on the edge. The room is dark, and the only illumination he has is the light streaming from the veranda, but he can easily make out the figure whose head is bowed.

“Sayori,” he walks to her and kneels. “How are you feeling?”

The respond doesn’t come until several seconds later. Amidst the bush of tresses, red eyes glow, and a teardrop falls onto her lap. “Hanabusa,”

“What is it? Don’t cry,” he says, holding her face and wipes her cheek with a thumb. “Tell me. Are you alright?”

“Is Ichijou-senpai okay?”

“Yes, he is. We’re just glad that you’re okay now.”

“And you…Hanabusa, I…”

“I’m fine,” but the wound on his neck suddenly stings, as if the recovering bites were opened up again. He hears her ragged, hungry breathing that’s getting louder by the second, and he starts unclasping the bandage around his neck. “I was thinking you’d be thirsty right after you— _ah!_ ” he’s on the bed before he even knows it, and Sayori is on top of him, straddling— _freaking straddling_ him, and for a moment he wonders if this is how things will always be from now on.

Under other (naughty) circumstances he would’ve smirked and said, “So you had this side of you?” but the menacing, _scary_ glow in her eyes has discouraged further discussion. “Sayori, um—” he yelps when she plunges her head into his neck, and he experiences her “real nasty bite” (as Ichijou described it) once again.

“Hanabusa, I’m sorry,” she says in between bites, and he can feel her tears on his neck. “I’m sorry,” she says again and again, as she consumes him.

Aidou closes his eyes. He’s had experiences getting bitten, but not one like Sayori biting him. Yes, it _does_ hurt right now, but aside from that, it feels rather… _orgasmic_. He feels a sense of elation like he’s never had before; just when he thought that holding her hand or kissing her was the best of being with her, _this_ was another kind. Here she is, drinking his blood, the liquid substance of life, but he doesn’t mind even in the least bit. “Go on,” he says weakly. _I like it anyway_.

Once Sayori is satisfied, he’s even the one to wipe the red stains around her mouth. “Such sharp fangs you have, my lady,”

She’s still sitting on top of him like that. “Did I…hurt you?”

He shakes his head, smiling. That’s most of the truth, anyway. “Are you still thirsty?”

“I…not anymore.”

“Was it good?”

It’s dark, but for Aidou it’s pretty easy to imagine the blush on her face. “Hmm-mmm,” she hums, her head bobbing.

He chuckles, then strokes her cheek softly, gently. “I’m sorry, Sayori.”

“I’m sorry, too, Hanabusa,”

“You must really love me, then, for you to go such lengths just to be with me. I don’t think I should be flattering myself, but, really, Sayori…” he sighs. His laughter subsides. “I still regret being that childish and not going with you. I was only seeing myself and what I’ve done.”

“I didn’t want to force you to come with me, either,” she answers.

“But still…” but isn’t that what is important now? That they’re finally “properly”together? But why can’t he shake off the feeling that something still feels amiss? “How about this,” he gets up, or at least with his torso, supporting his weight with his elbows. “No more secrets. We’re going to talk about everything.”

“That was our first official fight, wasn’t it, Hanabusa?”

“Hmm…yeah. The first time was just me getting all sulky and we still weren’t together during that time. So, deal?”

“Deal.” He’s about to tell her that _no offense, but please get off before I lose control_ but just then Sayori moves to the space next to him and lies down, the gesture both relieving and disappointing him.

It’s a bed made only for one person, but they fit perfectly. They’re facing the ceiling.  “Sayori, let’s go back to your home tomorrow.”

“Are you returning me to my parents, Hanabusa?”

Aidou snorts. Not now, when one wrong move could tip off everything. “No, of course not. Your father wants to hold a party, remember? For your graduation.”

“Yes. Are you coming?”

“Yes. I need to atone for not coming to your graduation.”

There’s a long pause, and then she says, “There’s something else, isn’t there?”

Sometimes he wishes she weren’t so receptive. This is one of those times. “I’m bringing the guys with me. They’re friends, after all.”

“Yes, but I was thinking that we could just hold a simple dinner; a party is too extravagant and unnecessary,”

He looks at her, and realizes that they’re closer than he thinks. They’re on a small bed, after all. “So I’ll have to trim it down to Takuma and me, then.”

“You’re going to keep an eye on me, aren’t you?”

“Yes.” His reply comes solemnly. “I’m sorry, Sayori, but for your family and you…”

“I understand,” she closes her eyes, and smiles. “I was planning to ask you that same exact thing.”

“I’m glad. You’ve really got everything covered, huh?”

“Yes.”

And they talk, and talk, and talk, till the last conversation dies out in dozed silence. The next morning, Ichijou is scandalized to find the two of them sharing the same bed, but then just smiles before he shakes them awake, because now and what is bound to happen are just about the same.

 

It’s a long day, even a longer night, because Aidou Hanabusa asks to stay over at the Wakaba Estate until after the dinner party, and it’s not easy being under the tight scrutiny of Sayori’s family, especially her father. As for Takuma he takes care of himself by renting a means of lodging near the estate, which Aidou grows to be aggravated over. His friend reminds him that he _needs_ to be there just in case some newborn vampire suddenly goes blood-hungry and makes a feast out of everyone in the house. This gets Hanabusa immensely defeated in the argument. He knows Ichijou is right, anyway.

Good thing, the guest room isn’t that far from Sayori’s. And at about 3AM, Aidou’s not surprised when there are three loud knocks on his door, and he gets up, and a savage Wakaba Sayori jumps at him and greedily bites him, and drinks his blood.

As he’s lying there, with Sayori atop him and consuming him like that, he feels delighted and scared at the same time. What if she never gets to control her thirst? More importantly, what if he’s not around the next time she gets thirsty?

“I’m sorry,” she says when finally sated of her thirst, wiping her lip with the back of her hand. Her night gown has a bit of bloodstain.

“It’s fine,” he says. “Come; I’ll take you back to your room,”

Maybe she will. _She has to._

 

\--

 

“Thank you, everyone, for coming to this humble dinner party. I am very pleased to announce that my daughter, Sayori, has finished her senior year in Cross Academy with flying colors…”

These are the words caught by the vigilant Aidou and Takuma before they clap their hands upon the presentation of Sayori. When she stands, Aidou catches her eye, and even when she doesn’t actually do it she could really hear her sigh. _I told him I don’t want a party_.

“’Humble’, really though?” Takuma giggles beside him.

Aidou smiles. “Yeah. I can imagine what she’s thinking all the way from here.”

“Anyway, how did last night go?”

“She came to my room at early in the morning and…you know,”

Ichijou cocks a brow. “Two things are on my mind. Kindly explain?”

Aidou blushes furiously. “She _drank my blood,_ stupid!” this earns several heads in the vicinity turning. Frantically, the vampire covers it up, “I—um! It’s a metaphor!” which Ichijou takes as a tragedy of an excuse.

“Haven’t you given her blood tablets, though?” the green-eyed blonde asks him. “They’d do, even if they’re not enough.”

“I know, but…it’s like breastfeeding, you know? You have to be the source of nourishment before pointing them to other sources.”

“I was going to laugh, but that’s a really accurate illustration.”

“I know right.” And that’s when he catches the smell. He clutches Takuma’s arm.

“Ow. What?”

“Sniff.”

Ichijou does.

“Sniff _harder_.”

“Oh…” Takuma puts down his goblet and suggests Aidou does the same. “Oh. Oh, crap. Where’s Sayori-chan?”

Hanabusa cranes his neck. “Oh no, the crowd’s dispersed! And she’s not beside her father! Let’s go!”

They follow where the smell is coming from, and it leads them out to the garden, to a dark portion of it to be exact. “Sayori!” Aidou exclaims, seeing her there, but the catch is not that her eyes are red, but rather, the fact that she’s _not_ the cause of the smell of blood.

“Hanabusa, get her, quick!” Aidou springs into action, seizing her from behind, as Ichijou looks further into the garden.

“Blood,” Sayori says, as if in a trance. “I smelt it here,”

 “Sayori!” Aidou spins her round to face him and taps her cheek. “Sayori. Look at me, look at me!”

Her breathing becomes ragged, and her hand chokes her neck.

“Sayori, it’s me, Hanabusa!” he says louder. “Snap out of it! Please!”

Slowly, slowly, the red eyes focus into his, and the glow subsides. “Hanabusa…”

“Yes, it’s me,” he almost laughs with tears, relieved. “Are you okay now?”

“I—”

“Sayori!” they turn to the direction of the woman’s voice. _Oh crap_ , Aidou curses, thinking that no lame excuse will save him now, for it’s her mother that has seen them. “Why did you get out all of a sudden without asking for permission and—and just _what_ are you two doing?!” and the worst case scenario happens: he’s not able to explain. Sayori is dragged back into the party, leaving Aidou wounded with a remark from her mother that goes like: “I am very disappointed in you, Aidou Hanabusa!”

When he’s left without even having explained himself, Ichijou runs back to him, panting “Level E. Got rid of it. Where’s Sayori-chan?”

“She…her mother…saw us…”

“ _What?_ Not while Sayori was on a fit, right? Tell me!” Ichijou scratches his head in annoyance, and grabs Aidou back inside. “Whatever. Come; you’ve got matters to settle.”

Aidou doesn’t know how he gets through it, but thanks to Ichijou’s natural grace in crowds and self-magnetism, they survive the dinner party while repeatedly having to introduce themselves as “Sayori’s friends” and “Aidou Hanabusa is the special friend, while Ichijou Takuma is the common friend” in that order. At least, during the party their newborn doesn’t have a sudden thirst.

However, by the end of the party, Aidou is reminded by Ichijou of what he _has_ to do: the very reason why he came here.

Their “common friend” doesn’t leave until two hours after every guest has departed. Aidou then approaches Sayori’s parents, much to the bewilderment of the girl; Ichijou causes a diversion plan by means of telling Sayori that she “needs to sleep” because “she had a pretty long day.” She agrees, by some miracle, and obliges, thinking what Aidou could possibly talk about with her parents. Probably about the incident at the garden tonight. Yes, probably that.

Lying awake, she remembers how smoothly she slipped into that “fit” without even realizing it. No; the feeling wasn’t like being possessed by something, but rather, _unleashing_ something that is a part of her. She contemplates on how to subdue it the next time it takes over, but she can’t think of any way.

She falls asleep dreaming of blood, of torrents of it, and Aidou calling out to her.

 

\--

 

The next morning, knocks land on her door and upon opening it, there’s her mother along with two traveling bags. “What are you doing? Get dressed!”

“For what, _uka-san_?”

“Your trip, silly!” there is a mixture of shock, excitement and delight in her mother’s voice. Certainly, whatever she’s talking about, she didn’t sign up for this. “Aidou-san is taking you to a trip; have you forgotten?”

She’s about to say, _He is?_ But retains her composure, fully trusting her partner that whatever he’s planning, he’s already thought it through. “Alright,” she removes the remaining plank on her eyes and shuts the door, feeling that if she lingers a second longer she’ll thirst.

Later, both of them are ready, and Sayori is sent off by her family. She has no idea what’s happening until she sees her mother crying, and her father on the verge of tears.

_Could it be, that Hanabusa…?_

“Don’t forget to drop by here, Sayori,” her father says, his voice low. And against all logic, he steps forward and embraces her, which kind of melts her heart on the spot. “I will miss you,”

“We will miss you so much, honey,” her mother says, sniffing.

“I’ll…I’ll miss you too,” she says, suddenly confirming the fear she doesn’t know she’s been carrying ever since she decided to become a vampire: that she will never get her old life again, no matter how bland it was; that she must forever keep this secret of her having stepped across the gap that her family can’t see and reach. Their family wasn’t one that was tightly bound together by love, but for the first time in years, they show affection towards each other as Sayori clings onto her parents.

She faces Hanabusa after, trying not to cry, and she realizes that all this unspoken pain will never go unnoticed because with just one look at him, she knows he _understands._

“Remember what I said, Aidou Hanabusa,” her father says with a stern look at him.

“Yes, I will.” He replies with a humble smile. She shoots him a look of confusion, but his eyes hint that she won’t be given explanation until much later. And he bows a solid ninety degrees, and bids, “We shall be going then, father, mother,” which adds more to Sayori’s bewilderment.

Ichijou said that he won’t be joining the train ride home, and thus the two of them are stuck in complete silence in the cab.

“What did you talk about last night?” asks Sayori. They’re facing each other.

Aidou smirks, hand on cheek. _She knows that look_. “You still have no idea, really? I thought you’d have picked up the moment you saw them crying.”

“I _had_ ideas, but I was too alarmed to confirm them.”

“Well…” he shifts to a more comfortable position, and tells her.

So she just bows her head, just like the way she does when embarrassed, along with a timid, “ _Oh_.”

 

\--

 

The surprises don’t end there, though. Instead of Cross Academy, she’s brought to one of the mansions of the Aidou family. They’re on the countryside, from which a twenty-minute travel will be the beach.

“What are we doing here?” asks Sayori.

“There’s no reason for you to stay at the Academy, anyway.”

“And your research?”

“It can wait,” he smiles, and kneels with his back on her. “Hop on.” When she doesn’t budge he adds, “Well, a bridal carry would be tacky. Hop on!”

Sayori laughs, the kind of laugh that is assembled melody to his ears. He then sponsors her a piggy-back ride up the long flight of stairs, and brings her to the room she’ll be staying at.

 

\--

 

She’s asleep.

Aidou dresses up, and gets down to meet his father.

“So you’ve brought her?” his dad laughs, which causes Aidou to be embarrassed. “Don’t think I don’t know where this is going, Hanabusa.”

Hanabusa takes a seat, doing his best to be at ease. This is going to take a very long explanation. “That’s why I want to ask you: how do you feel like making her part of the family?”

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lol i didn't know i'd continue this story. life has been in the way (and, apparently, laziness too) i personally have always liked this story but had excuses about finishing it but due to some requests to continue this, i decided to continue it. i'm sorry; i just need a little push every now and then. anyway here it is! (and please push me to update if i'm at it again, oho)

* * *

 

Some nights aren’t as promising as they’ve wanted.

Just as Hanabusa had thought, Sayori manages being a vampire fairly, if not excellently. He gives her a dose of his blood at least three times a day, and since his father understands that he couldn’t possibly leave his lady’s side, he’s off the hook from doing commissions for Mr. Aidou, save for sometimes. This, however, didn’t lighten up any of the burdens the two are sharing.

He’s chosen to not be in the same room as her yet, albeit their rooms are adjacent to each other, connected by a door within. It’s unlocked, of course, and they would have “incidents,” wherein Sayori would intrude Aidou’s room at usually ungodly hours, just to drink his blood. Sometimes, when he decides to spend the night sleeping since he’s not active in his experiments, he’d feel someone pounce on the bed and he’d be wakened by blood gushing from his neck to his shirt and there she would be—drinking like she’s never had the treat before.

 

Sayori stops pouring the tea on the cup and looks up. “The beach?”

“Yeah. I figured you’d want to go out. I promised your dad I’m taking you to a vacation, and all.”

“In this kind of season?”

“If you don’t want to take a dip, it’s still fine.” Hanabusa replies. “What’s wrong?”

She spends a moment looking at her reflection in the brown liquid in the cup, and smiles. “Nothing, nothing.”

“Good. You don’t mind if it’s just the two of us, do you?”

“I like it.” But what he thought was an edge of fear in her voice is confirmed later that morning, when he visits Sayori in her room while she’s asleep. He sees a trace of red on the corner of her mouth, and, recognizing the smell, he knows it’s blood. No, she hadn’t drank from him earlier. It’s still half-dry, and that’s what drives him more nervous than confused.

“Sayori?” he shakes her gently. “Sayori,”

She opens her eyes slowly, but easily, as if she wasn’t really asleep at all. “Hmm?”

“Where’s this blood from?” he gently places his thumb on the blood spot. “From whom did you drink?”

She closes her eyes. “You woke me up just for that,”

“Sayori.” He insists. “Tell me.”

She shows her right wrist, on which there is a bite mark, and smiles.

“Eh.” Aidou thinks he’s encountered this kind of idea before.

“I was pretty desperate.” She chuckles. “Pretty daft of me,”

 _What are you, a moron?_ He remembers what he said to Yuuki Cross when she did that before. Then he just finds himself laughing, because apparently the two share a bit of weirdness he didn’t expect. “Seriously. And I thought you and Yuuki would be different.”

She breathes a stifled laugh and asks, “Hanabusa, are you sure?”

“About what?”

“The beach.”

“Of course I am. Why?”

“You say that it’ll just be the two of us but I know about it. I know that they’re always around,”

He’s robbed of words for a moment, not sure what to say. All this time, she knew. “You can smell their blood?”

“Ichijou-senpai’s is often what I smell. Sometimes Ruka-san and Akatsuki-san’s,”

“So you can determine whom _exactly_ the smell of blood is?”

She addresses him a look of surprise for a moment, and replies, “Yes…am I not supposed to?”

“Um, well…truth be told, we can only _smell_ if it’s a vampire or human. Not determine who they are. How long has it been like this?”

“I don’t remember. Just...I just can tell. When I’m familiar with someone, I think.”

Aidou soothes her hair, and rests his head on the space next to her chest. “Well, you’re not wrong. I _have_ told them to keep watch when I’m not around.”

“Why didn’t you let them in? I could use some company,”

“I didn’t want you to think that you’re a threat.”

“But I _am_ a threat,” her words bleed with hard truth. “I know, Hanabusa. One day or sooner I’d go even more insane than I do almost every night,”

“No, no, don’t say that, please,” he holds her face with both hands. “Please, no,”

“It’s alright,” she smiles, though her eyes are shining. “I wouldn’t voluntarily get into this if I didn’t know what was at stake.”

“Why are you saying that? Do you feel like you’ll lose control sometimes?”

She sniffs, and wipes, with the back of her finger, the tear on his cheek. “All the time.”

He swallows, just before he buries his face into the shelter of her arms.

“It’s alright, Hanabusa.”

 _No it’s not_.

“It’s alright,”

_You can’t afford to lose control._

“Stop worrying…”

_Kiryuu himself will hunt you down if that happens._

_“_ We will be okay.”

_And I –_

“I’ll be okay.”

_I myself will have to end you._

 

\--

“This,” Ruka looks at what Akatsuki is gesturing to. “Where did you learn all this?”

“I was taught from childhood.” Is her prim reply. “Did you understand what I told you just now?”

There’s a look of mingled irritation and hesitance on his face. One thing she knows is that he’s still having trouble letting all her teachings sink in, but by virtue of his request, she’s doing this.  He just asked her to teach him magic. “Okay. I guess.”

“Good. Let’s call it a day, then.” She moves to walk back into the house, and he joins her.

During their walk, Akatsuki asks Ruka a question that promptly surprises her. “I’m curious about something. Do you know how to do that spell Juuri Kuran used on Yuuki to turn her human?”

“Why do you ask?”

“I’m just curious whether you know. Your powers seem to be on the same plane of abilities, after all,” there’s nothing but curiosity in his voice, so she figures out that there’s nothing else behind it.

“I do.”

“Can it be taught?”

“Yes.”

“Would you show me?”

She shoots him an irritated, alarmed look which takes him aback.

“I was just _asking_!”

“You _do_ realize what kind of spell that was, right?”

“Well, I…yeah.”

“It’s a blood sacrifice. It’s erasing entirely someone’s memory as a vampire and then turning them human.”

“Suppression, right?”

“Yes. Exactly what happened to Yuuki Cross.”

He scratches the back of his head in confusion. “There’s still a down side to that spell, though? Wasn’t Yuuki brought back to being a vampire after Kaname-sama bit her?”

She nods solemnly. “That was why he wanted to protect her for as long as possible…he wouldn’t have bit her again if that’s what it took.”

“But then Rido Kuran showed up.”

“Hn.” is all that’s her reply, and the conversation ends there. When they reach the house, they are surprised when they see the pregnant Yuuki looking at a telegram with bloodshot eyes. Immediately, Akatsuki rushes to her side to ask what the matter is, and both are fairly shaken, alarmed.

“I have to go,” Ruka stands up to volunteer in an instant. “I’ll help,”

“I’ll come with you.” Akatsuki seconds, but Ruka’s sharpened gaze pushes him back to take his seat.

“Stay here. I can handle myself. Take care of Yuuki,” the Kuran princess is crying again at this point, and even Ruka is surprised by her sudden, random gesture of kindness—she kneels down in front of Yuuki and touches her cheek in a friendly, even sisterly gesture, and manages to trust her voice, the same way she says everything with aplomb: “ _Don’t worry; it will be all right._ ”

But Akatsuki tries another shot at argument, and protests, “Kiryuu will take care of her!”

Ruka shoots him a look that hints he just said the most stupid suggestion ever, and realizes the error in his logic. “Oh. _Oh_.”

Because Kiryuu is the president of the Hunters’ Association now, and more than anyone, even Aidou himself, he’s held accountable for what is happening now.

“I’m going,” Ruka Souen doesn’t even bother packing her clothes, and goes.

Later that night, when they can hear clearly the canine howling in the distance, Akatsuki sees Yuuki staring out the window wistfully, but with a rather dead look in her eyes. He touches her shoulder and offers her a cup of tea.

“It’s bad for the baby when you worry,” he offers a small smile. Yuuki takes the cup weakly and drinks, but recoils back to her pensive state. They have been housemates for a while now, and Akatsuki hasn’t seen her like this for a long time; not since she was still recovering from her depression over Kaname-sama, but he knows that until the resolution to the conflict is clear, she will stay here pondering over things.

It’s not like he’s leaving her here alone, anyway.

He looks down at the abandoned strip of paper on the table; it’s dog-eared and slightly crumpled from being read and re-read the entire day. Written on it is a single line, but the line speaks volumes—of danger, of confusion, of fear.

He picks it up and hopes for the best.

 _“Sayori is missing_.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> updating after nearly a year, thanks to the persistence of a reader. ahahaha  
> sorry. i actually plan to finish this, life (and laziness) just kind of got in the way. i've written the epilogue already, so it's blue skies and sunshine starting from here.
> 
> also: READ VAMPIRE KNIGHT MEMORIES!! let this fic just serve as an AU; matsuri hino-sensei has finally explained how their love story came about

All is well, or as well as it can be, Aidou thinks, until one incident happens shakes his faith to an irreparable extent. Sayori _does_ lose control.

It takes place during one of those days when, upon giving Sayori her dose of his blood for the day (or night), he goes out, confident that she’ll behave herself and stay at home. By this time Ichijou and the others have been relieved of their clandestine “watching-over” duties for three weeks now, and so there’s no one to bear witness to the mass-murder Sayori commits.

“ _Oh, shit.”_ Are the first words that come out of Aidou’s mouth as soon as he crosses the threshold, seeing trails of blood and dust in the living room. He quickly surveys the house for any surviving person, but then no one is left. It’s just him, her, and the servants’ uniforms scattered all around the house. “Sayori!” he calls, but no one answers. He eventually reaches the kitchen, where he catches her in the act of biting one of the servants, while being encircled in a deadpool of vampire bodies slowly crumbling to dust.

She snaps out of devouring her meal as soon as she realizes his presence. “H-Hana…bu…sa…” her eyes are glowing with a menacing red in them, and he’s transfixed where he stands. _What is going on?_ He wants to say, but even that question doesn’t find its way out of his throat. “H-help…me.” But the last trace of recognition vanishes from her face, and she falls into a trance, and leaps at him. The next thing he knows is that he’s pinned on the floor, and she’s drinking his blood, not to mention to a draining extent, and that if she continues this even _he_ might die, and—

“Ah!” a sharp tip of ice is suddenly in front of her throat.

“Sayori,” Aidou says, panting, grasping his neck. “ _What have you done_?”

She looks back at him in fear, but her eyes are still red.

“I—” she stammers, the faintest hint of reason twinkling in across the mien of the turned Level E. “What have I—” tears well in the eyes of his beloved, and addressing the sharp pang of pain that hit him square in the chest is Aidou’s first mistake.

It all happens too quickly, and it transpires like this: he sets her up to a sitting position, holding her by the elbows, whispering a choked “It’s okay,” removing the threat of the sharp ice upon her throat. He stands, ready to haul her up along with him; he extends his hand with a “Tell me what happened.” Sayori stares at the offered arm, and instead of taking it, she pulls it in a very strong tug, and the next thing Hanabusa knows is he’s tumbling in the air, being sort-of judo-thrown, and he crashes onto the nearby wall in a deafening crash.

His vision is blurry, and at some point he might have passed out, because where Sayori had been crying a while ago, is now an empty space.

And one of the windows is broken.

 

 

\--

 

“I have to go,” he scrambles out of his seat and loads the _Bloody Rose_ into his holster. “Wait for me here.”

“Wait!” the pregnant Yuuki grabs his arm, tears staining the rosy glow of her cheeks. “Zero, please, _no._ Don’t do this,”

He kneels before her. This hurts him as much as this hurts her, too. “You _know_ I have to do this.” He holds her cheek, wiping the tears away. “I’m going not as the president of the Association, but as her friend. I don’t want her hurting anyone. I don’t want to hurt _her_ , please know that.”

Yuuki doesn’t agree nor disagree, because she knows. No matter how eloquent he is on his reluctance to deal with this crisis, there comes a point when _that_ stops being true. That Sayori isn’t just a friend in need: she’s a threat to be capped, with blood if need be. That there will come a point where their friendship ends and justice begins.

“Please.”

It’s a monosyllabic plea, but he hears the unspoken: _please don’t hurt Sayori. Please don’t take my best friend away from me._

_Please don’t kill her._

 

Kiryuu Zero sets out to the headquarters to assemble a manhunt squad, his heart heavy. Nothing is sadder than losing someone who is yet alive.

 

\--

The room is dark, save for the light of the moon slanting through the windows.

The horrified cry of a mother grates against her ears, as she sinks her fangs into the young boy’s neck. This feels _wrong—_ wrong, on so many levels, by any definition. She drinks up her meal, swallows easily the viscous, cherry-red liquid oozing from the puncture she’s made. _Thirsty, so thirsty._ No matter how much she drinks, her throat still feels dry, which is strange: she’s already going on out of instinct here. The blood of this child barely soothes the sandpaper-dry sensation she’s been feeling for days. The boy writhes in her arms, a choked scream suspended in his lips, and it tries to fight back, crying all the while, begging her to stop. But she holds him tighter by the arms, so strongly, that she knows she’s not mistaken when she hears a bone crack.

Eventually, the boy stops moving.

A shadow hovers over her. She looks up, and it’s the mother, holding a knife with both hands, shaking—terror and rage shown in her widened eyes, her tear-streaked face. “Y-you… _monster!_ ”

But before the lady could attack her, it happens in a flash: she never imagined that she could move _this_ fast, but in one fluid motion, she manages to steal the knife, throws at the wall, and _of course_ : her mouth finds its way to the mother’s neck, and she drinks, eats again.

A family of four still isn’t enough. Why is that?

She steps out of the door, the one through which she came in. She looks above, at the blue-black sky: the moon shines silver, with gray, thin streak of clouds gliding smoothly across it. The stars sparkle, and they look wonderful tonight. She feels tired, and something feels odd in her chest, and with her hazy mind driven by a primeval instinct of thirst, she tries to think through, and she realizes that _she should be somewhere else right now_. In her mind, she hears vaguely a male voice. She can’t hear it, but she knows it calls her name, repeatedly. The voice sounds like it’s crying, begging. She’s reminded of her hand being clasped, secured in two smooth hands. She remembers the color of sunshine: the color of early morning, just before the heat of noon radiates upon the earth. Hair. Flaxen-colored threads weave themselves before her mind’s eye, into a mop of cowlick hair that seems to be constantly tousled by the wind. A fair face, almost as if his skin’s never been touched by the sun. _Yes, almost never._ Her own voice agrees, a clear ring that she almost doesn’t recognize. _Because he doesn’t like to come out during the day._ It’s familiar— _achingly_ familiar, she could feel tears spring up to her eyes. Her hands, now sticky and dry with blood, tremble. She remembers blue eyes, translucent as the winter frost, looking at her with curiosity, and then confusion, and lastly, affection. Tears. Tears gather in the ice blue orbs in sorrow, in unspoken fear spilling on the edge of body language. Pale pink lips that belong to the face tremble, beseeching her not to do something. Probably _this_ : whatever this is. She holds her breath. She can hear the deep velvety voice now. It calls her name, _Sayori, Sayori—_ pleading for her to—

“Don’t move.”

She obliges. Her heightened senses tell her it’s a katana pointed towards the back of her head. She wants to raise her hands up in surrender, but a greater part of her urges her to _run. Now._ Because she’s _thirsty._ Still so thirsty. She knows she won’t get her meal if she comes with this person.

The man says something, but not to her. “15th street. Found her.” She feels him turning his attention back to her. “How many have you killed in your hunger?”

She fails to find her voice.

“Answer me!” the man thunders. “Answer me, _Level E!_ ”

Something like an electric shock zips down her spine. _Level E._ She knows that. _She knows what it means._ Her eyes dart in and out of focus, and her coherence washes over her in a torrent. This is it. What they have feared the most has finally happened.

She’s gone _mad._

She screams, but her voice doesn’t find its way out of her throat. Her legs giving way, she collapses on the cobblestones, into a kneeling position. She feels exhausted beyond words now.

The face before her mind’s eye comes in full form.

_Sayori._

“Hanabusa…” she mutters. A teardrop rolls down her cheek. And another. And another.

Through her clouded vision, the silhouette of a tall man approaches. _Hanabusa_ , she reckons, and she’s ready to throw herself into his arms, apologize over and over, and ask him to take measures that best fit the situation. She’s ready to atone for her sins. She knows the consequences that will follow this macabre act of hers. Either the aristocrats or the Hunters will deal with her, whichever of them catches her first. She’s familiar with the system. _And she’s friends with them_.

Wakaba Sayori closes her eyes, inhales. Air hits her dry throat, and the excruciating bloodlust threatens to take over, but for the first time today, she manages to hold it down, albeit barely. Tired, _so tired._

The silhouette approaches closer and closer.

But it isn’t him.

It’s an acquaintance, a friend. The cold winter breeze wafts past, tousling the silver tufts of her friend to one side. A firm, but penitent look is in his lavender eyes, and they stare at each other, hard, for she doesn’t know how long. The sheen of the metal nearly pierces her eyes as the moonlight hits it. A gun is pointed at her forehead. It’s the president of the Vampire Hunters Association.


End file.
